


The Caretaker

by TheAssassin



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Caretaking, Falling In Love, Light Angst, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:43:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8008579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAssassin/pseuds/TheAssassin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imogene "Gina" Jones has secrets, and a special skill set which has earned her the nickname, The Caretaker.  When the Avengers are run ragged saving the world, looking for lost friends, fighting their inner demons, and trying to live life, Fury and Coulson bring in "The Caretaker" to help them come together and take better care of themselves.  Gina has a past, a history with Shield, and she kicks a little ass.</p><p>Follow along as she weans the team off takeout and cold cereal, soothes broken hearts and damaged minds, and brings the team together with her own special brand of caretaking - and maybe falls a little bit in love along the way.</p><p>This takes place after Age of Ultron, but is not 100% compliant with everything in the MCU.  Coulson and Fury still run SHIELD - the Bus exists but with a slightly different crew, Pietro lives - because he had to, and there is Clintasha - no Laura in my AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nick Fury cast a critical eye over the ragtag bunch of exhausted Avengers gathered in the Stark Tower conference room.  “You guys look like shit.”

“Don’t pull any punches there, Director” Tony Stark sneered - but without his usual spark - even the tireless genius engineer looked exhausted.

“Listen, I know you guys are tired - you’ve been working your asses off tracking HYDRA, doing press conferences, fighting hidden threats, and some not so hidden.....  because of that, we’ve decided it’s time to add a new member to the team.”

“Now wait a minute.... Sir - I don’t know....”

“Hold on, Cap...” Fury interrupted Steve Rogers with a raised hand, “this isn’t a “super hero, go blow up the bad guys member”, more like a..........caretaker......”

Like twins who looked nothing alike, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov sat up straight in their chairs and both broke into smiles....... A smile on Barton’s face wasn’t that rare - but seeing the Russian assassin with a full on smile on her face instead of a smirk was startling - and a bit.....frightening.....

“REALLY?!?!” they said in unison.

Director Fury rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah - really.  Her previous assignment ended.....poorly....and she needed a new spot and we had the need to keep her in a secure location for awhile. Like they say, timing is everything.  Miss Potts has  _ graciously _ offered her a place taking care of the Avengers here at Stark Tower.”

Clint Barton looked at Tony Stark and said, “You need to marry that girl...seriously.”

“Yikes, who is this ‘Caretaker’ anyway?”  Stark asked Fury.......

Agent Coulson, standing in the doorway to the conference room cleared his throat quietly, effectively drawing all eyes to him.  “Team, let me take you upstairs and introduce you to The Caretaker and we’ll answer any questions you may have.”

Natasha and Clint tore out of the room like giddy school kids.....their weariness gone.  The rest of the team watched them go with raised eyebrows - Thor ambled out after Coulson with his trademark affable & curious look on his face.  Barton poked his head back in and said to Rogers, Banner and Stark, “You better hurry - or no cinnamon rolls...”  and disappeared again.

Stark looked up from his phone - where he had been hiding as he processed the team’s reaction.... “I have never, in my life, seen Natasha Romanov act like a giddy school girl....I’m absolutely terrified - in a ‘watching a shark eat a baby seal on Discovery Channel’ kind of way.  FRIDAY, please tell me you have that on video.”  As they ambled out the door.

“I do, Boss”  The AI answered

“Upload it to my private and secure servers around the globe and put it on a flash drive - there’s no way she’s hacking that out of my system this time.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet The Caretaker and she wins the team over with Cinnamon Rolls and Enchiladas.

Because of the way they’d loaded onto the elevator - Clint and Natasha were the last ones off - and they pretty much bowled over the rest of the team as they headed to the common area.  They were immediately met with the scent of cinnamon, and something spicy in the air.  

Natasha let out a whoop and yelled, “MAMA G!  Are you really here?!”

Tony Stark, still amused, was absolutely floored when the most non-agent looking agent came around the corner from the kitchen with her arms outstretched and a wooden spoon in her hand.  “The Caretaker” was a woman in her mid-30s, about 5’3” tall - pleasantly curvy, with short brown curly hair, glasses perched on the end of her nose, and an inviting smile.  Natasha Romanov, the Russian Assassin, picked her up and spun her around - peppering her cheeks with kisses.   

“Red - I am so very happy to see you,” the woman said as she cuddled arguably the most deadly woman in the world to her shoulder - one arm holding her close.  She looked over and saw Barton beaming and held her free arm out to him, “Come here, Robin Hood - hugs for Mama G too.”  Natasha put her down and headed straight for the kitchen - and Clint Barton fell to his knees in front of the petite woman and enveloped her in his arms - laying his head on her chest and closed his eyes.

“I missed you Mama G.”

“I missed you too, baby.  I’m so happy to see you both.  There are platters of rolls in the kitchen - can you go fetch them for me and grab Red too - I know she has her fingers in my bowls already.”

Phil Coulson smiled, a real smile - not his secret agent smile, and turned to the bemused and bewildered remainder of the team.  “Stark, Banner, Rogers...Thor - please come meet Imogen Jones... Codename, The Caretaker.”

“Please, call me Gina, or Mama G.  As you can see - I already know Barton and Natasha - but I’m very pleased to meet you.”  She stepped forward and shook hands with everyone but Tony.  “Mr. Stark - I know that you don’t shake hands, which is fine, I appreciate you finding space for me here, and I hope I can be of assistance to the entire team for as long as I’m able.”

Stark raised his eyebrows, nodded slightly, and buried his face back in his phone - typing furiously.  No doubt peppering the indomitable Miss Potts with questions.  

“Pleased to meet you, Ma’am.”  Rogers, ever the gentleman, smiled warmly.  “Forgive our confusion - Director Fury just told us you’d be joining us and I’m not....WE’RE not.... sure what to make of it all.”  He gestured to the rest of the team as they all gravitated towards the dining table, which had NOT been in the room when they left that morning.  It was huge - seated about 15 or so, and took up a flanking position just outside the kitchen.  While they were being introduced, Clint and Natasha had reappeared from the kitchen with plates, napkins and 2 huge platters of the most delectable smelling cinnamon rolls Steve had ever seen.

Thor’s grin widened - always happy to ‘feast’ as he called it.  The sniper and the assassin each grabbed 2 rolls apiece and retreated to the end of the table.

“Thor - I know you have a hearty appetite - there’s plenty more where that came from - help yourself.  To answer your question, Mr. Rogers - I am, in the simplest terms, just what my “moniker” implies, a caretaker.  Please, come in - grab a roll and I’ll try to answer your questions and we’ll visit.  Dinner will be ready in about 2 hours, so hopefully we have time to chat, and then you can go clean up before we eat.”

Tony Stark - aloof, snarky, always moving and generally described by everyone he met as an “Asshole” sat down at the table, grabbed a warm cinnamon roll dripping with frosting off the platter and took a gigantic bite, and moaned.

The multi-billionaire moaned - and the tiny woman with the wooden spoon smirked and thought to herself, ‘ _ Gotchya.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback makes me happy! Let me know what you think - I have about 11 chapters written and will get them posted this weekend - your feedback will help me decide if I should keep going! <3 you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am really bad at chapter summaries. I'm not sure what to say here.......
> 
> The team gets to know Gina - Tony is suspicious - blah blah blah. Oh yeah - and Rumlow and Rollins arent bad guys.....because I said so.

After everyone sat down, and Gina brought out a pot of coffee, and a cup of herbal tea for Dr. Banner - she sat down in a chair at the head of the table between Clint and Natasha who flanked her on the benches that lined each side.  

“As Agent Coulson said, I’m a caretaker.  I have worked in multiple SHIELD safehouses, at the SHIELD academy, and even at a certain top-secret school in upstate New York for quite awhile.  My job is, in a nutshell, to make your lives easier.  I cook, I clean, I patch up your wounds, feed goldfish, water plants, and take care of the day to day things that get left behind while you’re out saving the world.  I even do your laundry if you need me to, although I admit it is not my favorite thing to do, so don’t take advantage.”  She brandished the wooden spoon like a weapon and squinted one eye for emphasis.

“Should we add spy for Fury to that list?”  Tony was still chewing, but skeptical of this new arrangement.  Pepper was conspiring behind his back - and this had Agent and Fury’s fingerprints all over it.

Natasha growled at Stark, “Be nice....”

Gina interrupted her, “It’s okay, Natasha - it’s good for him  - for you ALL - to ask questions.  To answer your  _ question _ Mr. Stark.  I work for you, Miss Potts signs my paychecks.  I have worked for SHIELD and Professor Xavier for many years, you are welcome to check my files, talk to anyone you know from either organization or just ask me.  I do not lie, I listen when you ask me to, provide advice when you need it, and I do NOT tell secrets - not to SHIELD, not to Fury, not to anyone.”

Coulson added, settling his eyes on Bruce, “Gina is a trained medic, Doctor Banner she can assist you in any med procedures you might need help with.”  He continued - around the table outlining how she could help each and every one of the Avenger team - “Stark, part of her purview will be to assist Pepper - so she’ll be responsible for the feeding and sleeping of scientists.  Rogers - she can get you any drawing supplies you need - and can patch up your uniforms whenever the need arises.  Thor - she will feed you until even your Asgardian stomach is about to burst.”

Natasha, quiet until now and licking the last of the frosting off her fingers piped in - “Get ready to double your workouts boys, because your days of cereal and takeout are over.”

Gina laughed and laid her hand over Natasha's on the table.  “Thank you, Red - you are so very sweet.  Honestly - my goal is to provide balanced and healthy meals - I don’t want to ‘fatten you up’ but I do want you to be operating on all cylinders - you can’t do that with greasy takeout and cereal...ugh....”  She wrinkled her nose. “I am happy to cook for you, anything you would like.  I’ve asked FRIDAY to send an email to each of you with just a short survey asking what you really like, or don’t like.  Your files list no food allergies and luckily - nobody here suffers from anything we need to be worried about - but if there’s something that either doesn’t agree with you, or triggers something negative - please let me know right away.”

At the mention of the word “trigger” Bruce Banner raised his head from the cup he was absentmindedly stirring and met her eyes. he cleared his throat, “Ms. Jones...”

“Please, Gina...”

He cleared his throat again, “Ok...Gina... I have to ask - have you been made fully aware of what you’re getting yourself into here?”

Gina smiled gently at the wary and concerned look on the doctor’s face, “Yes, doctor - and I’m fully capable of dealing should the need arise.  I’m not naive, or in the dark.  I’ve dealt with many amazing individuals over the years, from petulant scientists to children who can literally walk through walls.  I can take care of myself, and those around me.  Director Fury and Agent Coulson would not have recommended me to Miss Potts if they did not have faith in my abilities.”

A happy looking Thor grabbed another roll and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.

Tony Stark licked the frosting off of his fingers, absentmindedly grabbing the damp cloth Gina had placed at his elbow as she talked to Bruce.  She handed another cloth to Thor and started picking up empty platters and bringing them into the kitchen leaving the team to digest and formulate any questions they may have.

Steve Rogers topped off his coffee cup and reached for a roll - eyeing Coulson warily.  “Phil, do YOU think this is a good idea?  Do we have to watch what we say while we’re in the common areas of our floors now? How does this work?”

Clint piped up from the end of the table, “Gina has a higher clearance level within SHIELD than Stark and Banner do, Cap - it’s all good.”

“Steve, Gina is loyal and trustworthy - she’s worked in most of the homes of the highest ranking SHIELD agents - even Fury’s.  You have nothing to worry about.”

Gina grabbed the last platter off the table, offering the single cinnamon roll left on the plate to Bruce as she met Steve’s gaze, “Mr Rogers....”

“Steve, please”

“Steve,” she amended “I understand you’re wary, it’s good that you are - you wouldn't be a good team leader if you didn't have security at top of mind.  Aside from you all needing my help, I need your help.  My last safehouse was compromised and HYDRA knows who I am.  I spoke with Miss Potts, Director Fury and Agent Coulson and they all agreed that you all need a facilitator.  In fact, I think Director Fury said something about ‘not ever wanting to see another memo about blood stains and uniforms again’ You all need my help, and I am available to give it.”

Natasha’s sharp eyes watched her intently - “Gina, are you ok?  What happened?”

I’m fine, Red - HYDRA found a few of our safehouses.  Mine was the only one with a caretaker.  I followed protocols and Agent Coulson sent a very nice boy to come pick me up.  Everything was fine.”

Barton and Natasha looked at Coulson who added, “Rumlow brought her in.”

Tony Stark barked out a laugh - “‘A very nice boy’ - that’s hilarious - I’m filing that one away for future use.”  Rumlow was probably older than Gina, but he had a feeling that no matter who her charges were, she was a mother figure in their lives.  His intuition about people was not the greatest, but he knew there was more here than met the eye.

Tony stood and looked over the top of the omnipresent phone at Gina.  “Dr. Banner’s lab, my lab and the penthouse are accessed via that elevator - I prefer that you stay off of those levels unless absolutely necessary - just let FRIDAY know if you need to come up and she’ll check in with myself, Pepper or Bruce.  Welcome to Stark Tower.”  With that he turned and swept into the elevator and left.

Thor finally spoke up, leaning back with a hand on his stomach.  “I am very happy to have you here Miss Gina, your repast was quite delightful.  Did you also mention dinner?”

Gina laughed, “Yes, Dinner in about an hour - go wash up, relax, or do whatever it is you hero types do.  Does Mr. Stark usually join you for meals?”

Bruce stood up and made to carry his tea cup into the kitchen.  Gina intercepted him and held her hands out to take it gently from his hands, careful to not make contact until he set the cup in her hands. “Tony and I are most often in our labs, we lose track of time, and hardly ever make regular meals.  FRIDAY reminds us to eat and sleep occasionally - but it’s sporadic and not as effective as JARVIS was.  I wouldn’t expect us for meals but if you need us for something, FRIDAY can generally shake the tree and get us down to the common levels.  You’ve met FRIDAY haven’t you?”  FRIDAY helped run the day to day things, but she was no JARVIS, and Tony still missed JARVIS enough to passively ignore FRIDAY when he felt like being contrary, which was a lot.   
  


“Yes Dr. Banner, Ms. Jones and I have become acquainted - we have discussed shopping lists and schedules today and she knows to just ask if she needs something” 

“Dr. Banner, there will always be leftovers in the fridge, or frozen meals ready for a quick heat-up.  I know you’re a vegetarian so there will always be options for you here.  FRIDAY and I have set up some protocols so I know when all will be out on official duties - I will endeavor to have a meal or snack ready for you when you’re back and ready to decompress.”

“It was very nice to meet you, Gina, please call me Bruce, and I hope you feel at home here.” With that, he headed to the elevator that led to his lab.

Gina clapped her hands and made shooing motions at the rest of the team seated around the table, “Go - we can talk more later.”

Barton jumped up and fist pumped the air, “Enchiladas!!  Thor - have you had enchiladas?”

Thor grinned and his stomach rumbled loudly, “Yes!  I had them when I was first sent to Midgard - in New Mexico with Lady Jane and Lady Darcy.  They also educated me on the fine qualities of your beverage - ‘Tequila’ - a potent libation!”

As they all wandered down the hall to their rooms, Natasha and Clint filled Thor and Steve in on what they could expect from “Mama G’s Enchiladas.” 

“Phil, they look tired.” Gina smiled at Coulson.  “YOU look tired.  Why did you wait so long to bring someone in?  And we’re missing a few I see - when will they be here?”

“Honestly?  They weren’t ready yet - they needed to gel as a team before we brought anyone in to help them.  They’re battered, G - I think your counselor skills are going to be put to the test here.  You read the files, you know what you’re dealing with.  As far as the rest - Wilson should be here within a few weeks - he’s closing up shop in DC and getting moved.  The twins went to London to help Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis move across to the tower - we expect them tomorrow.”

“I think It will take a bit for those who don’t know me to trust me - Clint is still a little broken inside, I can see it in his eyes.  Natasha is having issues with being so exposed after the data dump.  I hope some TLC will help erase some of the shadows from their eyes.”  

Gina looked at her hands as they rested on the countertop, she added quietly “Thank you for getting me out of Montana, Phil.”

“You will never be left behind, G - you know that.  Nick was livid that you were compromised.  He’s going to figure out what happened.”  Coulson laid a hand on her forearm on the counter, “You know by tomorrow Natasha will have figured out that you have a wound - you might as well tell her.”

“It’s a scratch - less than 10 stitches and I can barely feel it - it will be fine, Phil - not even worth mentioning.  You know I’ve had worse.”

“I know you have.  Be sure Banner checks your stitches and he can remove them when you’re ready.  I’m happy you’re here, Gina - there’s only one Caretaker - we don’t want to lose you.”  Coulson gave Gina a gentle hug and helped her set the table for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatchya think? Feedback feeds my soul!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team seprate before dinner to discuss the new development - Enchiladas are consumed - conversations are conversed.

The doors to Tony’s lab  _ snicked _ open as Bruce walked in, making a stop before he got back to his own lab.  He sat down on his customary stool and waited for Tony to turn around.

“So....that was weird.  Do you think we need a ‘Den Mother’, Bruce?”

“I don’t know, Tony - I don’t think we ‘ _ don’t’  _ need her.  Honestly I’m so sick of takeout and cereal these days I can’t imagine it will be a hardship to have someone taking care of the things we never have time for, like groceries.”

“There’s something weird here - but I’m not sure what it is.  I’m looking at her file now - she’s a field agent, Level 7, why is she babysitting us?”  Tony kept typing as he talked.

“Well if she guarded safehouses, it would make sense for her to be field agent qualified - and her clearance level would go along with that - Coulson and Fury said she’d been in SHIELD for awhile, she’s probably mid-30’s so if they recruited her early - probably 15 years.”  Bruce was playing devil’s advocate to Tony’s prying.  He thought there was more to the story - but spying and espionage were not on his mind.  He got the sense that she had been hurt and was hiding personal issues - not professional ones.

“I don’t like it.  I don’t like being lied to, and I don’t like that Pep did this without even talking to me.  FRIDAY, is Pepper still on the phone?”  She wasn’t answering his texts.

“Miss Potts is currently off the phone but still in her office, Sir.”  FRIDAY ran the tower - he knew everything.

“Bruce, I’m going up to see her - I’ll try to get the details.  Why don’t you call your pal Beast and see what he can tell you from Westchester?”  Science! Bros stuck together and Hank was a good friend and fellow scientist, as well as a mutant.

“Sure, Tony - a phone call won’t hurt anything.”  Bruce walked over to the bench to grab his phone and place the call as Tony strode out into the hallway.

**********

Tasha stood in front of the mirror in her and Clint’s bathroom and dried her hands and face.  Clint was laid back on the bed with his feet on the floor humming happily to himself daydreaming about enchiladas and thinking back to his SHIELD Academy days when Mama G ran their dorm.

“I think she’s hurt, Clint.”  Tasha called from where she stood staring past her reflection in the bathroom mirror, deep in thought.

Clint hummed in agreement, “She flinched when I hugged her around her stomach.  Not much - but I could tell something pulled when I did it.  We can ask her after dinner, she won’t lie - but she will omit if we don’t directly ask her.”

“Do you think she knows that  _ we _ know what happened 5 years ago?”  Privately, Natasha wasn’t as worried about Clint knowing she didn't know everything before everyone else.  They worked together well and bouncing ideas off one another was one way they figured things out.

“I don’t think she’s under any illusion that we don’t know, or couldn’t find out - it’s not that well hidden.  Hell, Tony probably has almost figured it out.  But it’s not our place to pry, Tash - if she wants to talk to us about it, she’ll bring it to us.  It would be like you voluntarily talking about the Red Room or me chatting about being brainwashed by Loki.  Some things just hurt too much to turn into words.”  Clint walked into the bathroom and washed his hands at his own sink, looking at Natasha in the reflection of her mirror.

“I would rather Tony not confront her with that knowledge right away.  I know we can’t stop him, but maybe I can suggest, firmly, that it’s not a conversation that should come up in front of everyone.” Natasha didn't remember her own mother, Gina was someone who filled that role and was incredibly important to the woman, even if they didn't keep on close contact.

“You can talk to him about it. It probably wont stop him from running his mouth, but Tony actually does have a heart, somewhere, deep deep deep inside.”  Clint turned and smirked at her as he walked out of the bathroom.

“Maybe” they both said, in unison, and laughed.

 

*******

The group congregated in the common space for dinner about an hour later and found the table transformed.  Places were set, low candles lit, Gina and Phil were talking quietly while leaning against the bar - sipping dark beers and smirking.

She turned away from Phil and addressed the group - “What does everyone want to drink? We have beer that pairs nicely with the enchiladas, but also iced tea, water, or really - whatever else you’d like.”  Eventually she’d figure out the answer to this question without having to ask.

Most piped up and asked for beer, and Gina turned to grab them from the fridge - running into Natasha who had slipped in behind her.  Gina startled and laid a hand across her stomach in surprise. But Natasha saw it more as a protective gesture.

“I will help, Gina.” Natasha’s eyes flicked to where her hand laid across her stomach, then back up to her eyes.

“Later, Red. After dinner we will chat.”  Gina helped her carry bottles of cold beer to the table and handed them around before addressing the group.

“Tonight is enchiladas.  This is a recipe I learned while I was working at a safehouse in New Mexico.  I hear Prince Thor has some knowledge of the southwest and it’s foods.  These are chicken, but we also have a vegetable option here - she indicated another pan with a glance at the two empty seats at the end of the table.

“FRIDAY - please let Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark know that dinner is being served and we would like it if they joined us.”  She glanced at the ceiling while she spoke, then looked back at the table.

“Why do we look at the ceiling when we talk to him?”  Then she laughed and took her seat at the head of the table closest to the kitchen.

Steve laughed and said, “We ALL do it, even Tony sometimes.”

“Miss Gina, The Doctor and the Boss will be down momentarily, and they thank you for reminding them.”  FRIDAY interrupted.

“You mean Dr. Banner said thank you, and Mr. Stark said something rude. Don’t sugarcoat FRIDAY, it’s not necessary.”  Gina grinned at Clint as she spoke.

Just then Bruce and Tony stepped off the elevator from their labs and moved to the table to take their spots.

“Thank you for joining us, gentlemen.  I’m going to assume you washed your hands before you left your labs?”  Gina raised her eyebrows with a look at Tony.  Bruce was a doctor, he knew better.

Stark detoured to the kitchen with a smirk and muttered under his breath, “Den Mother.”

Dinner was fun, everyone telling stories and asking gina general questions about her travels and charges over the years.  She answered vaguely but engaged everyone.  The nature of her postings were largely classified so while she gave general answers, nothing specific was shared.  This was actually a strategy on her part, what better way to assure someone you wont tell  _ their _ secrets by refusing to tell anyone else’s?

The team lingered over dinner and eventually the table was cleared and Natasha and Gina were alone in the kitchen loading the dishwasher.  Natasha didn’t look at Gina as she asked, “So what happened?”

“A knife, an idiot, and me getting old.”  Gina turned towards her and raised the hem of her t-shirt to show her the bandage across her lower stomach. “It’s a scratch - just a few stitches that will come out in a few days.”

“Letting someone cut you at the core of your body is sloppy, Mama G - not slow.  You’re better than that.”  Natasha had trained with Gina on and off over the years.  While not to Clint or her level, she could hold her own.

“I’ve slowed down I guess, Red,” she said with a laugh.

Natasha snorted and closed the dishwasher as Gina finished wiping down the counters. “I guess we’ll have to work on that.”

Gina laughed and walked out of the room towards her own apartment at the end of the hall, “Don’t hold your breath, Natasha.”

While Natasha and Gina talked in the kitchen - Clint cornered Tony on the balcony off the common area.  “I know you’ve read her file, and have done some digging.  There are things in her past that are painful, Tony.  Don’t pry - she’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

Tony huffed and looked over at Bruce, “I hate secrets, Barton - you know that.  Especially where SHIELD is involved.”  Bruce nodded, he was not a fan, either.

“I realize that - and if you trust me, you’ll trust what I have to say. Gina is not here to spy - I think she’s here to hide.  From what, I’m not 100% sure yet, but it will come out.  She is exactly what she said she is - plus a bit more.  The “bit more” will be revealed, but I won’t do it - just know that she won’t betray your trust when you decide to give it to her.”  Clint nodded to Banner and walked back into the common room.

“I talked to Hank up in Westchester.  He had nothing but glowing things to say about her.  He was with the professor and he basically said the same thing as Clint.  She has secrets, but not secrets that are designed to deceive anyone - they’re just private.”  Bruce glanced over at Tony as he leaned back and looked up at the top of the tower.

“Well - I guess we’ll give her time to prove them wrong - but I won’t hesitate to say ‘I told you so’ if the opportunity arises.  Plus Pepper ordered me to be nice, and I try not to knowingly ignore her, contrary to what she believes.”  

Bruce laughed and walked back into the common room, leaving Tony to his sulking.  He’d get over it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Gina sets the record straight with a certain super soldier and Pepper meets Gina.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina sets Steve straight - Meets Pepper and Makes Breakfast.

Never one to sleep long, Steve Rogers was up and headed for the gym level at 5:30am the next morning - still a bit groggy after being startled out of his sleep after the nightmare of falling from the Helicarrier and seeing Bucky’s face as he fell.  He couldn’t wait for Sam to get moved in so they could continue their search.  

As the elevator doors opened onto the gym, he heard music pumping from the speakers behond the swinging doors. Strange, sometimes Natasha beat him here, but she never played music when she worked out.  He pushed the doors opened and was greeted with the sight of Gina Jones delivering a whopper of a roundhouse kick to the heavy bag in the corner of the gym.  She followed that up with a series of combinations as she danced all the way around the bag - mixing in feints and kicks.

“You’re up early, Captain.”  Gina didn't look away from the bag and continued to punch.  She must have read through is file because she didn't raise her voice - so she knew he had enhanced hearing.

“I usually work out this early, Ms. Jones - and I told you, it’s ‘Steve.” He moved to drop his water bottle and towel on the bench next to the heavy-duty Thor-and-Steve-ready weight benches.  “I don’t sleep much, so an early workout before I have to listen to Clint and Natasha snipe at each other suits me well - then I’ll run in the park before breakfast.”

“Well  _ Steve _ \- I thought I told you to call me Gina?”  She laughed and continued to punch and kick.  “I despise running, but I do it every day - it makes for good thinking time.” Gina gave the bag a final brutal punch and moved over to her own water bottle and drank deeply for a moment.  “I don’t sleep much either, I guess you get used to it after awhile - and I like to hit things, it improves my sunny disposition.”  She tossed Steve a wink.

“Well you know what you’re doing with that heavy bag - do you have formal training?”  Steve hadn’t read her file yet - he figured it was just a matter of time before Tony showed up at his doorstep and told him everything that was in it anyway.

“I’m a qualified field agent, Steve - I can fight, shoot and spy with the best of them.  It’s just not how I choose to serve anymore.”  Gina was unwrapping her hands and stowing her gloves in her kit.

Steve raised his eyebrows at that and looked her way as he sat down on the weight bench, “You don’t look much like a field agent, Gina.”

“I think that was the point when they recruited me, Steve”  Gina threw over her shoulder as she headed towards the locker room - throwing a sloppy salute to Clint and Natasha as they walked in the door.

Clint jogged over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, moving his eyes between Steve and Gina, “You ok, Mama?” 

“Just fine, Robin Hood - hard to sleep in a new place at first, so decided to work out early.” Gina reached up and brushed his unruly bangs off his forehead.

“That’s not what I mean, Gina - and you know it.”  Clint dropped his eyes to her abdomen briefly.

“Fine, baby - I’ll have Dr. Banner take a peek at my stitches but they feel just fine and I took it easy this morning.  You go spar with Natasha, I have a feeling she hasn’t kicked your sassy ass in a few days.”  Gina tossed a wink in Tasha’s direction and walked into the locker room.

Gina wasn’t "fine" - but she was getting there.  That was something.  After all that had happened in the last 5-6 years, moving forward was better than being lost in the past, or standing still.  She could be happy with moving forward.

*******

Back in the gym Natasha was standing next to Steve’s weight bench with her arms crossed as he finished up his set.  Clint was stretching on the mats nearby.  Steve wiped his face and raised his eyebrow, inviting her to just spit it out.

“What did you say to her?”  He could always count on Tasha to get right to the point.

“Just said I didn't think she looked like a field agent.”  Steve stood with a shrug to add more weight to the bar.

Natasha laughed, “Don’t underestimate her.  She’s small, nondescript, and deadly.”  

Steve laughed, “Kinda like you?”

“Yeah, kinda like me - only sneakier.  I’ll shoot you or stab you, Gina will poison your cookies and milk and step over your twitching corpse without a backward glance.” 

Clint laughed from his spot on the mats, “Awww, cookies.”

Steve looked startled and glanced at Clint.  “Really?”

Clint moved onto the treadmill to do a warmup run before he started sparring with Tasha.  “Gina spent a lot of time as an instructor at the Shield Academy and with the X-Men until about 7 years ago - she’s very skilled at teaching people how to blend in and be invisible without needing super powers.  She’s unassuming, small, and fools everyone into thinking she’s Betty Crocker. That’s  _ her _ super power.”

Natasha moved to the treadmill next to Clint.  “She’s good at her job, no matter what form that job takes at the moment.  Don’t forget that, but don’t hold it against her.  She’s a good person to have in your corner, Steve - and I have a feeling that when you and Sam bring Bucky home, you’ll find her help invaluable.”

“Understood.”  Steve moved back onto the bench and picked up his workout in earnest - thinking about their new “Team Member” and wondering just how long it would take to find his best friend.

*********

Gina was finishing up cleaning the kitchen when Pepper, Bruce and Tony showed up at about 9am.  Pepper introduced herself while Tony and Bruce sat at the breakfast bar to help themselves to the waffles and fruit Gina pulled out of the warming oven.

“Miss Potts, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you finding a spot for me here, I know it was sudden and you’re very busy.”  Gina poured tea for Bruce and handed him the mug - then poured coffee into two cups and set one on a saucer in front of Pepper and a mug in front of Tony.

“There’s fruit and cream here for the waffles, I have syrup warming also if you prefer, boys.”  Gina moved the syrup from the pan on the stove over to the bar.

“Ms. Jones, we’re happy to have you here - and our group keeps growing - your availability was actually a godsend - the takeout containers alone were about to overwhelm the common floor.  And please, call me Pepper.”  she lifted the cup of coffee to her lips and took a sip, “Mmmm - good.”

“It’s Gina, and I’m happy to be able to help.  There is nothing more gratifying than watching people enjoy something you’ve made for them - whether it’s a plate of waffles,” she nodded over to the boys, who were tucked into waffles with sleepy but blissful expressions on their faces, “or providing technology to those who really need it.  I love my Stark Pad,” she added with a wink.

Tony glanced over to the tablet sitting on the holder near where she was mixing up a mystery batter.  “Keep making me waffles and I’ll upgrade that to the newest version, it’s still in beta.”  

Pepper smirked at Bruce - they shared a secret knowledge of Tony’s generous side, and added, “We’ll upgrade you anyway - we like having a captive testing group.” 

“Well I won’t say no, it’s a marvel.” Gina turned back to the waffle maker and threw two steaming hot waffles onto a plate with her finger tips and handed it to Pepper. “There is a bowl of fruit in the fridge that has no Strawberries - and I was very careful not to mix knives or cutting boards.”  There’s also yoghurt and granola if you prefer.

Pepper lifted the plate to her nose and inhaled deeply, “Waffles are perfect - and thanks for the fruit!”  She grabbed the bowl and moved to her seat beside Tony, reaching across him for the syrup.  Gina grabbed an apron out of the pantry and moved behind her. 

“Put this on to protect that pretty suit, syrup is messy!”  Pepper laughed and melted a little bit.  Gina was going to be an asset, she knew it when Phil described her skillset.

Gina smiled and moved around the bar back into the kitchen - topping off coffee and tea as she stood watching them devour her food.  The sound of forks on plates always made her happy.

“Ms. Foster and Ms. Lewis are joining us today.  I got an email from FRIDAY letting me know that Foster will be in with Thor but that Ms. Lewis will have an apartment on this level.  I’ve taken the liberty of having FRIDAY put in an order so I can stock Ms. Lewis’ room with basic provisions.  From what I understand Ms. Foster doesn’t really cook and Thor eats on the common level.  I’ll greet them when they get here and give them a tour around the common areas.”  Gina was loading the dishwasher as she chatted with them.

“Foster will want to see the labs as soon as she gets here,” Tony pushed his plate away and grabbed his coffee cup.  “Have FRIDAY let me know when they arrive and I’ll come grab her and show her the space.  Thanks for breakfast.”  Tony stood and left the kitchen area, coffee in one hand, phone in the other.

“He’s a pain in the ass, but there’s more to Tony than what you see on the surface,” Bruce was finishing up the bowl of fruit and standing to bring his dishes into the kitchen area.  Pepper snorted and winked at Gina.

Gina took the plate from his hands and set it in the sink, “I find that most people are more than what they present on the surface, Dr. Banner - I imagine Tony Stark has reasons for the mask of rudeness and indifference - we all have reasons for our masks.” She smiled at him gently and nudged him out of the kitchen.

“I thought I told you to call me Bruce?” He looked her in the eye and could actually see the mask this time.  She met his gaze and returned it - seeing a softening in his expression as he turned to leave, turned back part way and said, “I guess when we can drop those masks, then we’re truly home.”  He left with his hands in his pockets and the air of a distracted scientist about him.

Gina stood rooted to the spot and then looked at Pepper, “Sheesh that guy  _ is _ a genius, isn’t he?”

  
“You said it, Gina!” Pepper said with a laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Jane and Darcy arrived at the tower that evening after dinner with little fanfare.  They were escorted into the common area by Wanda and Pietro and the rest of the team rose to meet them - Thor bounded to the elevator and swept Jane Foster into his arms.

“Jane, I have missed you!” he boomed.  The diminutive Dr. Foster blushed faintly and wrapped her tiny arms around his broad shoulders.

“Awww - aren't they adorable?”  The short and curvy brunette next to them rolled her eyes, mimed sticking her finger down her throat and mock gagged - then stepped forward to introduce herself.  “Darcy Lewis, scientist wrangler, best friend and lightening sister - pleased to meetchya!”

Gina stepped forward to do the introductions since Thor was....occupied.....

“Welcome to the tower, Darcy.  I am Gina - I’m the caretaker around here.  These are Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton.”  Gina gestured to each of them, respectively. “I have a feeling you and I will be working fairly closely to keep this lot in line.”

She then turned towards the Maximoff twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff were standing off to the side talking quietly. While their eyes took in everything, they appeared to separate themselves from the group.  Clint gave Pietro a little chin lift in greeting.  Gina knew they were the latest to join the team, and their inclusion had been a bit rocky based on the events with Ultron and Sokovia.  “I’m Gina Jones - I’m the facilitator/caretaker around here.  If you want it or need it, come find me - I’ll help.”  They both smiled at her in greeting.

Darcy had moved over to Natasha and Clint, then threw Steve a wink, “Hey there, Captain - nicetameetchya!  I thought Agent iPod Thief was going to go into spasms when he heard they found you while we were in New Mexico.”

Natasha smirked at Steve, who had blushed, and said, “Lightening Sister?  You’re the one who tased Thor?”

“Ha!  Yes I am, he likes to tell the story - it all sounds much braver than it was - between you and I - I was so terrified I was ready to wet my pants.”  She turned to Jane and Thor, “Janey - time to come up for air, now.”  Jane shoved at Thor’s shoulders and landed awkwardly on her feet as he let her down from his embrace.  She grinned sheepishly at the group and Gina went through the introductions again.

“I’ll give you all a tour of the common area, then Mr. Stark indicated you’d probably like to see the labs straight away, Dr. Foster - so I’ll have him come escort you there himself.”  She turned towards the kitchen, “Are you all hungry?”

“We’re starving!” the two newcomers intoned in unison and even the Maximoffs perked up at the mention of food.

Gina fed the newcomers, introduced them to FRIDAY, and gave them a tour.  After they ate Pietro and Wanda returned to their rooms, while Gina showed everyone around.  “It feels a little weird giving you guys a tour since I only started yesterday!” She laughed.  They saw the gyms, common areas, stopped by the security office to see Happy and sign some paperwork, and headed back to the common floor.  Gina asked FRIDAY to let Tony know Dr. Foster was here and anxious to see her lab.

“The boss is on his way, Miss Gina.”  They had finally come to an agreement on how Friday would address Gina.

“Darcy, your suite is just down the hall here - I can show you now and you can settle in and rest.  Thor, I imagine you can show Jane the way to your apartment after you see the labs?”  Gina smiled at the couple as they wandered towards the elevator.  Jane turned back, to Darcy, “You okay, Darce?”

“Perfect, Janey - Lets meet in the labs at 8 tomorrow and start getting things set up.  No sciencing tonight - let’s sleep and start fresh, ok?”  Darcy knew it was a 50/50 chance she’d listen, but the thunder god winked at Darcy and Gina knew they conspired to keep Jane from working herself into the ground.

“K - find me if you need me.” she rushed over to give Darcy a hug, which she returned and then Jane wandered over to greet Stark who appeared in the common room. 

Gina gestured towards the hallway, “Shall we?”

Darcy looped her arm through Gina’s, “We shall.”

And off they went.

********

After the tours and showing Darcy her suite and chatting for a bit about schedules and scientist/superhero wrangling - Gina returned to the kitchen to wipe things down for the nite and set out snacks for anyone who wandered in.  After placing a triple layer chocolate cake on a glass covered cake plate and a container of cookies - she dimmed the lights and headed for her own suite to relax.  She had a todo list a mile long for tomorrow and not sleeping the night before was catching up with her.

Once ensconced in her rooms she moved to her stereo system, a vintage mid-century modern cabinet with a built in record player, speakers, etc that she adored, and put on some Pearl Jam.  Not many had music on vinyl anymore, but Gina loved it.  Electronic music devices worked great while out and about, but when she was home - she preferred vinyl.

With the music on low Gina moved to pour a glass of wine and decided to tackle the last 2 boxes she had to unpack.  Her job required her to pack fairly light - but there were some things she just didn't do without.  She placed the homemade afghan across the back of her sofa - her mother had made it for her when she graduated from high school and it had traveled with her for years.  She then set out the framed photographs around the bookcases and set up her incense burner. She was no hippie - but she enjoyed the exotic scents of sandalwood and cedar in her space - it helped make it feel like home when she was moving around a lot.

Gina pulled the last photo from the first box and sat heavily onto the sofa to stare at the face that looked back at her.  The little girl in the photo was laughing and splashing in the water - droplets on her face had surprised her and the photo always reminded Gina of the pure joy she felt in her heart when she had snapped the picture.

5 years.  It still felt like yesterday.  “I miss you every day, Mia.”


	7. Chapter 7

The next 2 weeks passed in a hectic but fairly normal flurry of activity.  The team was called out a few times to fight the big bad of the moment, and Gina got into a routine of sorts within the tower.  After getting things set up the way she liked it in the kitchen, and fine tuning her ordering and menu planning with FRIDAY - meals were pretty straight forward.  She mounted a board where she listed what would be available for lunch and dinner each day and everyone seemed to show up for dinner, lunches were more hit or miss.  She learned to create things that were easily portable and re-heatable to accommodate busy lives.

She made breakfast every day - although she wasn’t a short order cook there was always something hot available between 7 and 9 each morning.  She saw Thor, the Twins, Bruce, Natasha, Clint and Steve every morning - Pepper and Tony were more sporadic, but they showed up eventually.

Darcy and Jane were not big breakfast eaters - and keep very odd hours, much like Tony.  Pepper kept Tony more on a regular schedule - but binges of science still happened.  Jane would leave the labs only when tricked, coerced or carried out by Thor.  That girl needed to relax.  On the days Darcy was off, she’d stumble in sometime before noon in pajamas - searching desperately for coffee.  If Gina was around she’d pour her a big mug and set a plate in front of her. Darcy would eat on autopilot, working to pry her eyes open.  Once she was functioning, she would laze around the common room, surf the internet, or sleep.  Gina didn't blame her, odd hours and not sleeping for 36-48 hour stretches were hard on the body.

One Saturday after Darcy had eaten and drug Jane down to the kitchen to eat and “not science” for awhile, Gina filled their cups and stood with her arms crossed looking at the pair.  “Wha?” Darcy had just taken a bite of bacon and looked at Gina with her eyebrows raised.

“You ladies need to get out of this tower, and so do I - how about a day out and about?”  Darcy nodded enthusiastically while Jane glanced at the Lab-Level elevator and seemed to vacillate a bit.

“I really should.....” Jane began.

“No, Janey - you really shouldn’t.  Lets go out!  Fresh Air, Snapdog Vendors, A Bookstore, A CARAMEL MOCHA!” Darcy turned pleading puppy dog eyes on the good doctor - who caved almost immediately.

“Okay - let me go shower.  And we can go - 1 hour?” Gina was right, Jane needed to get out of here and so did Darcy.  Jane tried to take care of Darcy as well as she took care of Jane - but she rarely succeeded.

Gina laughed, “Go get ready ladies, and we’ll meet here in an hour.  Wear sensible shoes, everyone walks in New York.”

********

The ladies had a great time wandering through shops and the park during their outing.  While Gina was older, she was up on her pop culture so she got the inside jokes and comments that Jane and Darcy threw out.  Their last stop was a surprise and Gina ushered them into Strand bookstore and both of the younger ladies froze.

“Oh. My. Gawd.” Darcy whispered.

“Nirvana” Jane replied

“Let’s browse - we’ll call for a ride back to the tower when we’re done here.  I told Happy we’d need one at some point today and he said no problem.”  They all held up their phones to indicate they’d keep in touch should they get separated.  The place was huge.

After browsing for a few hours, each had a stack of books that they checked out with and trooped out to the street.  Gina had called for their ride while they were in line and the car from Stark Industries was waiting, double parked, when they hit the sidewalk.  Gina glanced up and down the street and sidewalk as she walked out the doors first, taking note of the people hustling home from work as it was late in the afternoon.  As Darcy and Jane stepped out behind her, Gina heard the sound of leather creaking just to her right and swiveled her head to see what the noise was - it was out of place on a busy city street.

She saw the gun clear the guy’s jacket out of the corner of her eye as she turned her head - the driver was already moving forward to intercept or intervene - although he was a good 20 feet away.  Her training took over.

She reached with her left hand and grabbed the gunman’s wrist - catching him by surprise and forcing his hand up.  With her right hand she pushed Darcy backwards towards the doorway they just left and she stumbled into Jane - taking them both to the ground.  Shots rang out as Gina felt the wrist in her left hand flex as the guy pulled the trigger, luckily firing harmlessly into the air.  She swept at his knee with her left foot as she pivoted and brought her right palm up into his nose - breaking it instantly as he fell backwards.

Her height was an advantage during most hand-to-hand situations - if she could get inside her opponents reach - her low center of gravity served her well.  She let his backward momentum pull her forward on top of him, bending her knee to land strategically as she slammed the wrist in her left hand into the cement - his hand opened and the gun slid out, but was still within reach - so she didn't let go - but it wasn’t really necessary - landing her knee in the guys balls with her full weight had pretty much incapacitated him and he rolled up into the fetal position, clutching his “jewels.”

Gina swung around, grabbed the handgun as she sprung to her feet - pressing the barrel of the into the guy’s forehead.  She glanced around once her opponent was covered and saw that the driver had moved to stand in front of Darcy and Jane while Gina had grappled with the bad guy.  The girls sat on the sidewalk in the doorway with their eyes wide - Darcy had her phone out and it looked like she had hit her panic button.  Good girl.

Gina looked at the driver and nodded approvingly - she’d be sure to tell Happy his guy had performed perfectly.  The guy on the ground had recovered his wits enough to start snarling and Gina knew having his hands free was a bad idea.  She looked at the driver, “You have cuffs?”

“Zip ties in the glove box.” He replied

“That’ll work - go grab ‘em.”  Gina looked at Darcy and Jane who were now scrambling to their feet. “You guys stay back - we should have company in a few minutes.

The driver went to hand Gina the ties and she indicated the guy on the ground with her chin.  “You do it, wrists - tight and in front of him so i can see his hands - and then check his pockets and under his Jacket - look for weapons and ID.”  She continued to press the barrel of the gun into his forehead.

“Don’t move, jerk.  You’re why this city has a bad reputation.”  She smirked as the gathering onlookers laughed.  An audience really wasn’t what she wanted right now - she hoped SHIELD would hurry the hell up.

Just as she finished that thought, lightning cracked and Thor landed with a thud in the street in front of their car.  He rushed to the sidewalk and took in the scene - eyes immediately seeking out Jane to ensure she was okay.  “I’m fine, we’re fine.  Gina took care of it.”

Thor looked at the tableau before him - Gina with a gun trained on a man’s forehead, the SI driver frisking the man’s pockets and making a pile of weapons and ID on the sidewalk next to him.  “The Hawkeye and Captain Rogers will be here with transport momentarily. The Widow....”

“...is right here.”  Natasha materialized out of the crowd and glared at the onlookers, who moved back a few steps instinctually.  She glanced at everyone and moved over to take the driver’s spot looming over the bad guy.

“You picked the wrong lady to mug, buddy.” She had a feeling this wasn’t a simple mugging - but waited to say anything until they were away from the public - nobody needed to hear HYDRA was attacking people on the street.  She grabbed a piece of rubber out of a pocket in her cargo pants and shoved it in the guy’s mouth.  Gina glanced at her sharply but wisely kept her mouth shut.  Natasha then covered the rubber piece and the guys’ mouth with duct tape.

Gina kept her covered while she sorted through the weapons and stashed the identification in her cargo pockets. She tucked the 3 knives in her inner jacket pocket and rose to her feet again.  “Thor, will you escort the ladies back to the tower - might as well use the car since it’s here.” She nodded to the driver and he moved to open the back door of the car again.  As he was moving away - 3 black SUVs pulled up and Steve, Clint and a few other agents descended upon the scene.  Between Clint and Natasha they lifted the groaning guy up and shoved him in the back seat of the first SUV - sandwiching him between them - the driver took off immediately for SHIELD HQ.

Steve took the gun from Gina’s hand and passed it to another agent, telling him to get it to HQ and that Gina’s fingerprints were on file for elimination.  Gina turned to Darcy and Jane - helped them gather up their shopping - and apologized for shoving them.

“I’m so sorry i shoved you down - I just wanted you as low to the ground as possible in case he started firing before I could get him under control.”

Darcy was still staring kind of wide eyed at Gina.

“That. Was. Awesome.”

Gina laughed and ushered them towards the car where Thor and the driver were waiting.  She turned back to Steve who was taking charge and creating a perimeter - even though there really wasn’t much evidence on the street.  “Captain, do you need me to debrief?”

“No, someone will come to the tower to speak with you.  Head back there and we’ll catch up later.” Gina appreciated his discretion in not using her name - there were too many ears on the street.  She nodded her head sharply and climbed into the back seat of the car while Thor took the front next to the driver.

Once the car started moving, Jane turned to Gina.  “Who was that?  Do you know?”  

Gina was looking out the window, her adrenaline was still spiking.  “I think it was HYDRA - or at least Natasha suspects it is - that’s why she put the rubber stopper in his mouth before she taped it.  In case he had a suicide capsule in his tooth.”

“HYDRA - as in World War II bad guys?” Darcy was no dummy - she was very well learned and read.

Thor spoke up from the front seat.  “You were in England and the coverage wasn’t as extensive as it was here - but HYDRA was part of SHIELD - had infiltrated their ranks.  It came to light when Lady Natasha released the data to the public.”

“Well, hell.” Darcy muttered.

“Exactly.” Gina whispered.

The arrived at the tower and rode the elevator up to the common room.  Bruce was waiting with a first aid kit when they stepped off the elevator.  “Everyone okay?” He did a visual assessment as he asked.

Darcy and Jane spoke up - “We’re fine”  “Fine, Bruce.”  He looked to Gina.  “You okay?”

“Bruised my knee, but okay - want to come take a look?”  Gina’s knee was fine but she’d wanted to talk to him in private for a few days and now was as good a time as any.

“Gina, we’re going to go get cleaned up - let us know if you need anything.” Darcy smiled at Gina a little shakily.

“I’m fine, Darce - go take a hot bath and relax - I imagine Phil will be here shortly to debrief.”  Gina turned to walk to her apartment and Bruce followed behind.

********

Once they reached Gina’s room she let Bruce in and moved to her sofa.  “Honestly my knee is fine, but I have a few stitches I need taken out and I’m too chicken to do it myself.”

Bruce raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Stitches?”

“From when I was extracted from the last safe house.  Knife scratch across my stomach that needed holding together.”  Bruce sat on the coffee table and started pulling gloves on.  Gina pulled her Pink Floyd t-shirt up and leaned back - peeling back a large band aid to reveal a neat row of dark stitches ran across her torso just above the hem of her jeans.

“Yep, those look ready.  Any soreness or heat in the wound?” It looked clean and clear with no sign of infection.

“Nothing - they probably should have come out a few days ago - but I hadn’t had a chance to get you alone.  Natasha, Clint and Phil know but I hate worrying anyone else.  Rumlow’s partner Rollins put the stitches in on the Quinjet and did a really good job and there was no infection so I didn't need to track you down earlier.”  Gina was looking past Bruce’s shoulder at the photo of her Clint and Natasha on her bookshelf.

“He did do a good job, might have to recruit him,” Bruce pulled his glasses down on his nose and proceeded to wipe the area clean before he started snipping and removing stitches.  “So, exciting day?”

Gina laughed and Bruce pulled the scissors away as her tummy moved. “Oh you know, bookstores can be dangerous.”

“Stop laughing, or I might have to put some stitches back in when this is all over.”  Bruce laid his hand on the skin below her stitches - it felt warm even through his glove.

“Stop making me laugh, funny man.” Gina winked and held still until he was finished.  He dabbed on antibiotic cream and another large bandaid.  

“You should be able to remove that by tomorrow - any signs of heat or redness, let me know.”  Bruce packed up his kit and policed his trash.  Gina took it from him and crossed to the kitchen.  

“How about a cup of tea as payment for services rendered, Dr. Banner?”  Gina filled the iron pot and placed it onto the front burner of her stove.

“A cup of tea sounds perfect, Ms. Jones,” he said with a short bow and a smile.

They visited for awhile and discovered a mutual interest in rare teas - Both had been in the orient and talked about places they’d visited.  

After about 45 minutes FRIDAY interrupted them.  “Pardon the interruption, Miss Gina - Agents Coulson, Romanoff and Barton are in the conference room and request your presence to debrief.”

“On my way, FRIDAY - thanks.” Gina set the tea glasses in her sink and Bruce grabbed up his first aid kit.  

As they walked out the door, he spoke to the ceiling, “FRIDAY, Miss Gina will not be preparing dinner tonight - please let everyone know there are copious amounts of frozen entrees in the pantry freezer for everyone to try.”

“Bruce, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - you  _ are _ a genius.”  She laughed and walked out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secretssssssss

Jane and Darcy went first and just told it like they saw it - Gina, guy, gun, ground, ass kicking.  Once they were done Thor escorted them back to the common floor and left Steve, Phil, Natasha and Clint with Gina to finish up.

Gina looked at Phil, “Was he HYDRA?”

Phil looked up quickly and then glanced at Natasha.

“That’s a tell, Phil - you’re getting complacent.  I thought Natasha suspected it when she put the rubber dam in his mouth before taping it.  Did he have the suicide tooth?”  Gina stood to move to the window and look out, arms crossed over her chest.

Natasha spoke up, “He was HYDRA - but he hasn’t said anything yet.  We’re not sure who his target was.”

“It was me - he was facing me straight on when he drew - instead of at an angle to behind me towards Darce and Jane.  They know I’m here now, guess it was too much to hope they’d been after the safehouse in Montana and not me.”  

Steve glanced at Phil at that statement.  “What the hell is going on, this is NOT in the file Tony showed me.”

“Patience, Captain.  Gina - do you want me to clear the room?”  Phil thought it was time to tell them everything - but it truly was up to Gina right now.

“No - it’s time to tell it, Phil.  If they’re coming after me - nobody around me is safe. FRIDAY - will you get Thor, Stark and Banner in here?”  Gina pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit a speed dial number.

“Hey, can you come to the tower?” She spoke into the phone.

“Already here? Okay - we’re in the conference room on 67.”

“Thanks”  She hung up and put the phone back in her pocket.  She turned to Phil and shrugged with a self-deprecating smile.  “7 years ago I was married, and 6 years ago I had a child.”

Clint and Natasha knew about a secret, but not about the child or the marriage.  Natasha looked at her questioningly - “What happened, Gina?”  As she spoke, the conference room door opened and Nick Fury swept in followed by Thor, Tony and Bruce, “I did.  I happened.”

********

Gina faced him with her hands on her hips, “If you can’t blame me, Nick - then you can’t blame yourself.  I’m not in the mood for this argument right now.”  Fury opened his mouth to reply but Gina held up her hand, “Not now - just shut up and sit down.”

Tony snorted and Bruce shushed him and pushed him into a chair - sitting down beside him while Thor leaned against the wall next to the door.

They all looked on, a bit wide-eyed, as Fury - the scariest guy on the planet - did as he was told and took a chair next to Steve.  Phil smirked at him a bit - the only reply was a glare.

“My maiden name is Jones, my married name was Johnson.  My husband’s name was Marcus Johnson.”  Natasha sat up straight in her chair and glanced at Clint.

“Yes, Red - Nick is my ex-husband and HYDRA knows it.  We thought our connection had been hidden well enough, but when SHIELD fell and we found out Pierce was dirty - we knew it wasn’t long before I wasn’t safe anymore.  That’s why I was in the middle of nowhere Montana.”  Gina turned to look out the window again.

Nick took up the story, “There are few people who knew, and those that did know where 100% trusted - we thought.  Pierce was on that list.  Gina was.....Gina IS... a weak spot.  They’ll use her to get to me - and they’ll use our shared history to hurt us both.”

Gina continued, “Our daughter, Mia, was born 6 years ago - she was a beautiful little girl, with pretty green eyes and curly dark hair - she had her daddy’s scowl though - she was a pill.”  Gina was staring at the past now - not really focusing on anything.  “We saw Nick occasionally - he was trying to keep us safe, I knew that - but it was hard raising her alone.  My family was gone and we didn't really have a support system we could count on, because of Nick’s job it wasn’t safe.  I didn't care about all that, I loved him - I still love him - and I loved our daughter.”

The permanent scowl on Fury’s face softened and he rose to stand behind her - his hands on her shoulders.  “You don’t have to do this, Gina.  You’ve said enough - they know enough.”

“No, it’s time - secrets create masks, Nick - and I’m tired of masks.”  Gina turned, gave him a brief hug around his waist, and stepped back into view of the others.

“One day on the way to the grocery store someone rammed into my car on the passenger side - the momentum caused the car to roll over a few times and we landed on the hood, upside down.  Mia was in the back seat, her car seat was on that side.  I managed to work my way free for the most part but my right leg was trapped.  I had a gun in the door pocket of the car and pulled it out - Nick made me paranoid - that paranoia saved my life.  Two men approached the car with guns - I shot them both.  It took me a few more seconds to realize that I didn't hear the baby crying.  I glanced into the back seat - hanging half in half out of the drivers side window - and I saw her.  She was still - so still.”  Tears were pouring down her face, but you couldn’t hear them in her voice.

“She died on impact - they hit us so hard, right where her seat was.”  Gina was quiet for a few minutes and Nick pushed her into a chair.  Phil set a glass of water in front of her gently and squeezed her shoulder.

Gina reached out and took the glass in both hands, drinking half of it.  She set the glass down and her voice caught as she started to speak again.  Nick took over.  “They wanted to kidnap them both, and use them as bargaining chips - they wanted to trade them for access and knowledge.  While Pierce led HYDRA - I led SHIELD - and Pierce knew that he could only infiltrate so far.  I had been working on the Avenger’s Initiative, and he did NOT want that to happen.”  The only tell, Fury’s fist clenching on the table, betrayed his anger.  “The day I put a bullet in his head, I actually felt kinda bad about it.  Then I found out who and what he really was, and what he was really responsible for.  I wanted to send him to T.A.H.I.T.I. and bring him back, just so I could kill him all over again.

T.A.H.I.T.I. was a very sore subject for Phil, Natasha and Clint - so bringing it up was a tell - another tell from a man who, until today, they all thought was tell-less.  Tony spoke up, and as he opened his mouth, Bruce cringed a bit.  He was afraid what would come out of his mouth - tact was not his forte.

“So - you sent us your ex-wife - wanted by HYDRA - to spy on us and bring danger to our doorstep.”  Tony was stuck on the spying angle - he’d get over it eventually.  “Yet again, Fury proves he’s a lying liar who lies.”

“I’m not spying on you, Stark.  Your secrets are safe with me - I do not tell secrets - and, although I was part of SHIELD, and I was married to Nick, I owe him no secrets from you.  I know you don’t believe me now, but I hope you’ll allow me to prove it some day.”  Gina looked at Natasha and Clint - a sheepish look on her face.  “I know you are my friends, and you care for me.  I am sorry for not telling you the whole story - although I suspect you know about some of it.”

Clint glanced at Natasha who shrugged at him, nodding minutely.  He spoke up, “We knew about the accident, and your leg.  We didn't know about the baby - or Nick.  I’m so sorry, Mama G.”  Clint’s expressive eyes softened - he knew anguish - and he was sad that she knew it too.

She reached over and grabbed Clint’s hand, “Nobody knew - and the pain fades a little each day.  I would have liked for you to meet her - I have a feeling she would have grown up to be a Mini HIM.” She gestured to Nick with her chin.  “It’s the past, and we all know now.  She shouldn’t be a secret, it’s a disservice to her spirit - they can’t use her to hurt us anymore.”  She glanced at Nick and smiled gently.

“What did Clint mean about your leg, Gina?” Bruce spoke up from his spot next to Tony.  “What happened?”

“Ha - When I tell the whole story at once, that’s part seems so minor it seems unimportant.”  She lifted her right leg up on to the table and pulled up the cuff of her yoga pants to above her knee.  Exposing a flesh colored plastic limb.  She reached down and tapped her knuckles to her calf - it  _ knocked _ \- sounding hollow.  “I lost it - it was mangled and broken too badly to save.  I had retired from field work when I had Mia - so that wasn’t a big deal - but I needed to work - so I started caretaking.”

Bruce stood and moved over to look at her prosthetic.  He reached out but stopped himself before he touched her, “May I?”

“Of Course,  _ Doctor.”  _ Gina replied with a grin.

Nick huffed from beside her, “Are you really flirting while I’m sitting right here, woman?”

“Oh shut up,  _ Marcus. _ You gave up your right to grumble 5 years ago.”  She rolled her eyes and winked at Bruce - who blushed - and it was adorable.  “I lost everything from just above my knee down.” She indicated the spot 3” above where her knee was bent.  My prosthetic is pretty state of the art, and I don’t limp at all.  Most people who don’t know, wouldn't even suspect.”  

Bruce was examining the portion of her prosthetic where it met the coupler that was a permanent part of her leg.  “This is a pretty good system - no pain in your limb?” He rubbed his thumb across the skin of her thigh right above the coupler.  Gina inhaled and then smiled, blushing as she met his glance.

“Not usually - I worked out this morning, and the girls and I tromped all over New York today - so its achey - but I dont have any issues with sores from the prosthetic.”  Gina sat up slightly and tugged her pant leg down.  Bruce moved around behind her to return to his seat and squeezed her shoulder as he walked by.  Gina reached up and patted his hand.

Tony smirked at him and winked as he sat back down, “Not one word.” Bruce murmured - returning his gaze to Nick as he spoke again.

“The immediate issue is, HYDRA knows Gina is here - and is “here” the safest place for her, and for you all and the civilians who surround you?”  He was annoyed by the flirting, but he couldn’t ever begrudge Gina happiness - even if it might end up being with a 10’ rage monster and his alter ego.  

“I will leave - If Darcy or Jane had been hurt today, I could never forgive myself.  I can talk to the Professor or maybe join the team aboard the Bus.  I don’t want to be a liability here.”  Gina had skills, and she knew they could build her a back story - there were options that didn't put anyone here in danger.

Surprisingly, Tony was the one who spoke up.  “Um, I don’t think so.  I am not going back to eating takeout and drinking from moldy coffee cups.  Plus, Pep would kill me if you left.”

Steve took over his line of thinking, “Ms. Jones....” She glared at him.”....Gina.” He nodded in deference to her preferred form of address.  “Truthfully this is the safest place you can be.  Between the normal security measures in the tower, the lack of access for those not vetted by the SI security team, and our ability to keep an eye on you through FRIDAY - staying here is actually better for everyone.  We contained the scene downtown - nice takedown by the way, Tash showed me the video - and confiscated phones, photos, and video.  I think we can mitigate the threat here and keep you, and Jane and Darcy, safe.”  Steve looked over at Bruce.  “Can you implant a tracker - one of Stark’s, not one of SHIELD’S?”

Bruce nodded, “Sure - no problem here - as long as you’re okay with it.” He made eye contact with Gina who was studying others at the table.  Phil had been VERY quiet through all of this... what was the sneaky ninja thinking........

She swung her glance back to Bruce, ‘Sure - no problem.  I’ve got nothing to hide.” She smiled sweetly at him.  “I’ll pop up to the lab later tonight.”

Tony threw his hands up and stood, “Ugh - the UST - I’m outta here.”  He strode to the door and stopped, “Are you going to tell the others?”  Gina knew by “others” he meant “Pepper.”

“I’m about done with telling it for awhile, if you all would like to share with Pepper, Darcy, Jane, Sam or the Twins, feel free.  Like I said, the secret can’t hurt me anymore.”

Phil spoke up then, finally. “Lets keep it to those with access to the Avenger’s floors for now - not staff, but the team and adjacents.  I recommend we read Happy in.  Stark, can I have Hill consult with Happy on security measures and what to tell his team if we need to send a detail out?”

Tony nodded then said, “Yes, now get out of my tower, you SHIELD types are grubbing up the joint,” and he left.

The meeting broke up at that point and Nick walked Gina to her apartment, following her inside.  “So what’s up with Banner?” he asked - going to her bookshelf and looking at the picture of his daughter, tracing his finger down the side of her face.

“There’s nothing up with Banner - he’s a nice guy - and even if there  _ was _ something up with Banner - it’s none of your business.   _ You _ divorced  _ me _ \- remember?” Gina moved to make tea.  She’d about had it with this day.  It was time for music and a book.

“Gina....I.....” The great Nick Fury was at a loss for words... she smirked.

“Forget it, I love you Nick, but I’m no longer  _ In love _ with you.  It was a long time ago - we’ve both moved on and can be friends.”  Gina handed him a glass of tea and moved over to her stereo - pulling out Etta James and starting the record up, turning the volume down a bit and taking a seat in her favorite chair across from Nick on the sofa.  “Have any idea why they want me now? Is something going down or is this just another effort for them to bring you under control?”  Gina sipped her tea and made eye contact with him, while he did the same.

Nick scrubbed a hand across his face and sighed, “I  _ think _ it’s just another general attempt - but it could be the Winter Soldier.  They want him back, he’s rogue and they know Rogers is looking for him.”  Gina has been filled in on the story of Bucky - Steve shared with her one morning when they met up in the Gym extremely early - both working off the aftereffects of nightmares.  He had shared his, she hadn’t - although now she was fairly sure he had a pretty good idea about what it was.

“Well, that would do it.  I guess continue the ‘don’t be seen in public together” thing.’  It had been the modus operandi when they were married.  “It’s not that hard, you’re not here very often and we don’t share a child anymore.”  Gina winced, “Ugh that was harsh - I didn't mean it that way.”

Nick made a slashing motion with his hand, “No - I know what you mean - it’s fine.”  He looked over at the photo again.  “I miss her too, you know.”

“I know you do.  It’s okay to miss her - it is  _ not _ okay to beat yourself up over it.” She had played that game, punishing herself.  She spent some time hiding in Canada with Rogue and Logan right after she was discharged from the rehab facility after she lost her leg.  While they let her grieve, they didn’t let her wallow. They were good friends - even if Logan was a surly SOB.

Nick shot her a smirk and rolled his eyes, “Stop counseling me, Gina - you know I hate that.”  He stood and placed his glass in the sink and walked to the door.  He put his hand on the knob and turned back to her, “I’m glad you’re safe, Gina - and I’m glad you’re here.  All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.”  And he left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina and Marcus met in the produce section - who knew? Oh and Sam moves in.

The Avengers grapevine eventually got to everyone and Darcy, Jane and the Twins were filled in.  Sam had moved into the tower and she met him the next morning when he came into the Gym with Steve.  When Steve introduced them Sam said, “I hear we got back too late for Enchiladas, Miss Gina.”  They had gotten to the tower around 10pm and Gina had already headed to her apartment.

“Never too late, Steve knows that.  There are always enchiladas in the freezer, Sam - help yourself.”  Gina mock glared at Steve - he tended to hide things he liked, sneaky little shit.

Sam punched Steve in the shoulder, which didn't even move him, “Wow, Rogers - thanks for  _ not _ telling me.  I ate a bowl of cereal.  A. Bowl. Of. Cereal.”  Sam started stretching on the mat next to Gina.  

Steve winced, he knew what was coming.  Gina  _ hated _ cereal.  “Sam - you will never put that processed garbage in your body again.  You come knock on Mama G’s door if you can’t find food - night or day - but there is always food portioned out in the fridge or freezer in the common room.  You help yourself.”  She turned and pinned Steve with her gaze....”You’re a troll, Rogers.  You went and had enchiladas after you got Sam settled in his apartment, didn't you?”

Steve flushed and grinned, “Mayyybeeee” and then danced out of Sam’s reach on the mat - laughing as he headed for the weight bench.  

Gina winked and finished her stretches - he glanced at her leg.  She’d taken to wearing shorts to work out since everyone already knew about her leg.  “You serve?” he asked.

“No - lost it in an accident.  I guess you could say it was SHIELD related, but no I didn't serve in the armed forces. You were in Iraq, right? Pararescue?”  Gina deflected the inevitable question with a question of her own and grabbed a drink of water while she sat quietly and waited for his answer.

“Yep - that’s where I first got my wings.  Kind of excited to have Stark work on them, he promised some upgrades - just hope he doesn’t go  _ too _ crazy.”  Sam had heard about Tony’s constant need to “upgrade.”

“Well - he does know his stuff - but he will never touch my waffle maker again.”  Gina winked and jumped up to hit the treadmill for her warm-up run.  “You better go pretend to spot Captain Overachiever over there - he talks the most while he’s working out.  It’s a good opportunity.”  She stuck her headphones in her ear and started her run, she was perfectly happy with her 8 minute miles - good cardio and she had  _ nothing _ to prove to anyone.

Sam laughed and made his way over to Steve.  “She’s a pistol,”  Steve glanced at him from where he laid on the bench - some obscene amount of weight on the bar.  “What’s her story?  She seems to know a bit about me even though we just met and has quite a bit of insight into you as well.”  Sam knew Steve had PTSD, and he was working on it, but finding out Bucky was alive out there had caused a bit of a backslide - he needed to talk, but getting him to do so was not easy.

“Gina has high-level clearance, so she has read your file.  She’s field agent qualified, although she’s no longer an active agent - and you should never, ever, underestimate her.”  Steve was a convert - he’d seen enough to know just how tough Gina Jones was.  “I have more to brief you on, but not here - lets chat after breakfast.  I think it’s pancakes and sausage today.”

“I’m already starving, Rogers - let’s do this so we can do  _ that. _ ”   Sam started taping his hands so he could start in on the heavy bag. 

********

Gina finished her workout and hit the shower.  She was in the kitchen by 7 and had pancakes and sausage ready for Sam and Steve when they came into the common room at 7:30 - they were still sweaty so they must have just gotten back from their run.  Gina glanced at the clock, “You’re late Rogers, usually you’ve run and showered by this time.” Gina pretty much had everyone’s habits down by now.

“Yeah, I run A LOT slower than he does, Miss Gina - so he laps me and I pretend it doesn’t piss me off.”  Sam was used to it by now, but he liked to rib Steve any way he could.  “Come on, let’s go shower quick so I don’t have to smell you while I eat.”

Steve snorted, “Like you smell like posies right now, Wilson.”  Meet you back here in a few.

“I’ll keep it warm, boys - hurry back.”  Gina slid the cakes and sausage into the warming oven.  

As they left, Natasha and Clint came in - already in their uniforms - they must have had a busy night.  “You guys leaving or coming back?”

Natasha slid into a stool while Clint poured them coffee, “Just getting back - surveillance last night - it was boring.” Clint hated being idle - he had the attention span of a toddler with ADHD, which was weird for a sniper - but it was what it was.

Gina laughed, “Awww poor baby,” she patted him on the cheek.  “You have some breakfast and go take a nap, I’ll make your favorite for dinner tonight.”  Clint pouted at the order to nap, then smiled broadly, “Really?”

“Really, Really.”  Gina had been planning on it anyway, but telling him she was making homemade pizza just for him made him happy - so why burst his bubble.  

She set pancakes, syrup and sausage in front of Clint and pulled yogurt, fruit and granola from the fridge for Natasha.  She smiled her thanks as Clint asked, with his mouth full of course, “So - what was it like being married to Fury?”  

Gina laughed, she’d been waiting for this.  Even though they’d been in SHIELD a long time - Fury was a bit of a unicorn for them - always shrouded in mystery.  “He’s surprisingly normal.  He leaves towels on the bathroom floor and loves junk food.  I think it was different for me because I didn’t know him as “Fury” - I met him as “Marcus” and he was sweet and kind.  I had no idea he was SHIELD when we met - I was in SHIELD, and I knew  _ about _ Fury, but I’d never met him.  I met  _ Marcus _ at the supermarket.  He was buying tomatoes.”

Clint laughed and Natasha rolled her eyes and asked, “Where did you live?  Not here in New York, right?”

“No - we lived in California.  Nick didn't really live  _ with _ us - Mia and I were in San Francisco.  I liked it there but there were too many people.  I would hate New York too if I had to drive and commute.”  Gina moved and started making more pancakes for the other boys, they’d be back soon.

Clint and Natasha ate quietly for awhile and GIna moved to fill their coffee mugs.  While she was turning back to the pot, Darcy stumbled into the kitchen - her typical sleepy kitten look in full force.  Gina grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her around the bar to sit her in a stool next to Clint.  He grabbed her shoulders and held her upright until she seemed to settle and then slump over the counter.  Gina set a cup of coffee in her hands - cream and sugar just like she liked it.

“Darcy, why are you up so early - what’s going on with Team Science! Today?”  Darcy mumbled into her arm incoherently.  Clint reached over and lifted her head up with a hand on her forehead.  “Try again, taser girl.”

“Upstate, telescope, helicopter.”  Darcy slurped coffee and hummed sleepily.

Gina giggled at her antics, “That must mean Jane and Thor will be here shortly - I’ll get to work.”  She started making pancakes in earnest - feeding Steve, Thor and Sam would definitely mean she had to get more than one griddle going.

Thor walked in a little while later carrying a sleep mussed Jane and smiling jovially - the guy was hardly ever not happy.  Darcy was right, he was like a golden retriever.  “Well met, friends!  We must break our fast before we visit the up of state.”

Jane snorted as he set her gently in a stool next to Darcy.  “Upstate, Thor - it’s called ‘Upstate’.”  Jane reached over and stole a sip of Darcy’s coffee.  Darcy didn't lift her head, just growled at her...loudly.  They really were super cranky and adorable in the morning.

Gina put a cup of coffee in front of Jane and handed one to Thor as he stood behind her.  Clint was finishing up his breakfast and Natasha had been done for a while - she was sipping her coffee and listening to the banter.  They both stood and Gina grabbed the dishes while Thor sat down next to Darcy in Clint’s vacated stool.

Natasha stood between the girls and winked at Thor over Darcy’s head.  “Colson would like you two to start evasion training this week, Gina will start you out and then Clint and I will take over when we’re not on missions.”  

Darcy groaned, still not lifting her head.  “You can tell Agent iPod Thief he can suck it.”

“Sǿster, it is good for you to learn how to evade and hide - and Lady Natasha and Hawkeye have the utmost faith in Lady Gina and her skill at teaching.  It would make me happy if you were better prepared when you are outside the tower.”  Thor turned his puppy dog eyes on Darcy, even though her face was  _ still _ buried.

“I can feel your puppy eyes, Brǿdir - put those away - I’ll do it, but I will whine about it.  Your punishment for suckering me into it, is listening to said whining and fetching ice packs.  You know Jane and I will probably only ever succeed in knocking ourselves out.”  Jane held out her fist to Darcy, who bumped it without even looking.  They shared a hive mind, Gina was sure of it.

Natasha and Clint left and Gina was chatting with the girls about their schedule as they dug into pancakes and sausage when Sam and Steve walked back in.  Both were wearing basketball shorts and sinfully tight t-shirts. Who buys their clothes?

Darcy turned to say “Hi” and choked on her mouthful of pancake.  She flushed and tried to push her unruly curls out of her face.  Gina laughed and saw the flush on her face as she avoided eye contact with the newest tower resident.  Steve smirked as he introduced Sam and they took their seats - Gina was already setting plates in front of them.

“Nicetameetchya” Darcy squeaked - and proceeded to try to wipe the syrup out of her hair with a paper napkin - she was making a bigger mess.  Gina moved around behind her and took her hands away from her hair - wiped the syrup out with a warm cloth, and put her hair in a braid, holding her and out for the hairband that lived on Darcy’s wrist.  Darcy handed it over and wrinkled her nose at Steve’s laugh - shrugging and smiling at Sam again.  “It’s before 10am - I’m a hot mess - it's common knowledge.”

Jane waved and continued to chew.  Sam smiled and nodded his head.  Tucking into a stack of the fluffiest pancakes he’d ever seen.  “Mmmmmm good, Miss Gina.  Thanks!”

“You’re welcome, Sam.  Coffee?”  She held up the pot as she set a cup in front of Steve.  He smiled gratefully and drained half the cup, set it down and she topped it up again.

“Yes please, Miss Gina.  Black.”  Gina grabbed another mug and left them to their eating, setting fresh pancakes on plates as they worked through each one.  Darcy and Jane pushed their plates away and groaned - they were obviously full.

“C’mon Darce, let’s get ready to go.  I need to get some stuff from the lab before we take off.”  Thor leaned to Jane across Darcy’s lap and she pecked him on the cheek as he chewed.  “See you in a few, Honey.”  Darcy patted him on the head like the puppy he was and threw a sloppy salute as she followed her boss out the door.

Sam looked at Gina, “Darcy single?”

Gina laughed, Thor scowled, “She is - but this one considers her his sister, and I carry a gun - so no playing, Mr. Smooth.”  She nodded towards Thor as he spoke and the Thunderer gave him a menacing growl.

Sam leaned back and lifted his hands in surrender, “Wow - just curious.  Tough crowd.”

Steve laughed and winked at Gina, “You have no idea.”


	10. Chapter 10

It seemed like Sam and Steve were only in the tower a day before they were off again - following up leads from Tony and Coulson on Bucky. They stopped by occasionally for a few days to recharge, but for the most part seemed to stay one step behind him as he blew up HYDRA bases around the world.

Gina was training Darcy and Jane a few evenings a week.  It got Jane out of the lab and mornings for both ladies were not the best time to get them to give max effort, so they could be found learning how to hide from Natasha and Clint around the tower from 8-10.  They also worked with weights and cardio to improve stamina and power - both did yoga on their own a few days a week in the lab when they took mental health breaks.

One late morning while Gina was sitting at the breakfast counter finishing up her own meal, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff wandered in looking for something to eat.  Gina started to rise but Pietro waved her down.  “We’re late, Miss Gina, we will find our own breakfast.”

They tended to still keep to themselves, it was awkward being around Stark - their deep seeded, but mostly misplaced hate had been nurtured by Strucker -and they were working to get over it.  Wanda liked to bake with Gina, and Pietro liked her record collection - they probably spent the most time with Gina of everyone - but they did it privately - not in the common areas of the tower.  Gina didn't mind having them in her space - they hadn’t been taken care of very well, and she liked taking care of them - so she shared her space and her likes with them.

“What have you two been up to this morning?”  Gina was the only one (besides Pepper) who knew they were taking classes online and working on their english.  They did most of their work in their rooms - keeping it private.

“Pietro had an algebra test this morning so he was up late studying - and I had to help him because he is an  [ идиот ](http://en.bab.la/dictionary/russian-english/%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BE%D1%82) (idiot.)”  Wanda perched on the counter eating a yogurt - Gina scowled at her and she shrugged guiltily, hopped down and moved into a chair.

“You didn't have to help me,  [ отродье ](http://en.bab.la/dictionary/russian-english/%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%8C%D0%B5) (brat.)” Pietro was scrambling eggs and pouring them into a skillet on the stove.  His metabolism meant he was scrambling and cooking a whole dozen eggs - but it was what it was.

“I did if you wanted to pass your test.” Wanda smirked at him and he snapped at her with a towel.  

“Enough - Pietro your eggs are burning.  You two want to leave the tower for awhile today? I need to run a few errands and you could use a change of view.”  Gina tucked her tablet and notebook into her tote bag and stared expectantly at Wanda.  She was harder to get out than Pietro.

“We can go with you, Gina.  I would like to get a few more books.”  Wanda was pretty agreeable this time, good.

“More books - you already have a library in your room, Wanda!” Pietro read, but not as voraciously as his sister. “Gina can we go to Bleeker Street? I want to get a few more albums.”  Pietro was becoming a collector, inspired by the feel of the album sleeves in his hands as he listened to records on her stereo.

“Just try and stop me, Speedy.” Gina winked.  “I’ll go grab my purse and meet you back here in 10 - I’ll call Happy for a ride over to Bleeker then we can walk to Strand from there and call for a ride back.”

Wanda nodded and went to do the same, leaving Pietro to wolf down his eggs - which he did, quickly.

********

Thankfully this trip out of the tower was uneventful.  Gina learned that they were almost done with their set of online classes for this semester about 2 months ahead of everyone - their capacity to learn and their desire to absorb information seemed limitless.  Pietro was enjoying the walk through the park and stopped to visit with various pets and their owners as they strolled along - speeding to catch up if the girls left him behind.

“Wanda - did you or Piet ever have a pet growing up?”  Gina was enjoying an ice cream cone and Wanda was picking a pretzel apart as they strolled.  

“No - there was no money when we were small - and of course, no pets while we were with Strucker.”  Wanda looked back to see Pietro having a conversation with an extremely obnoxious jack russell terrier - he didn't seem to mind that the dog was jumping all over him.  “I never really missed it, but I know Pietro did.  He loves animals.”

Gina grinned at her as she watched her brother, “I always had dogs and cats - grew up on a ranch - there was always a critter round.  I miss having something to cuddle up with at night.”

Wanda smirked at her out of the corner of her eye, “You miss some _ thing _ or some _ one _ to snuggle with?”  Wanda was not immune to the friendship between Gina and Bruce Banner.  

Gina smacked Wanda with the back of her hand.  “We’re just friends - no cuddling.  We watched a movie in the common room the other night - from opposite ends of the sofa - it was all very 5th grade.”  

Wanda laughed, “Something tells me that with that one, you need to make the first move.  He’s pretty shy.”

It was Gina’s turn to smirk, “He’s really not shy - just....... _ reserved _ .”

“Whatever you say, Mama G.” Wanda laughed and handed her brother the rest of her pretzel as he joined them to finish their walk.

“What does Mama G have to say, Sestra?”  Pietro asked with is mouth full.

The girls looked at each other and laughed...heading for the park entrance and the SI driver waiting there for them.

********

While Gina and the twins were in the park, Bruce was fending off a hyper and annoying Tony Stark in his lab.

“You should just ask her out on a date, Brucie.  You obviously like her - what’s the worst that could happen.”  Tony was touching everything on the lab bench.

Bruce reached out to grab the petrie dish from his hands and caught his eye with a raised eyebrow, “Really - you have to ask the question?”

“Bruce, it’s dinner - she’s cute - she’s into you.  Live a little.”  Tony sat down on Bruce’s stool and started playing with his phone.

Bruce grunted noncommittally and stared into his microscope - effectively shutting Tony out.


	11. Chapter 11

Things rolled on pretty normally for the next few months.  HYDRA didn't try for Gina again, Tony blew up his lab a few times, Jane over-scienced and under-slept - no matter how much Darcy cajoled her into stepping away from work, Steve and Sam stopped by to regroup a few times, heading out on their search for Bucky a few days later.  The twins took more classes and Gina and Bruce watched more movies like 5th graders from opposite ends of the couch.

She thought a lot about just asking him out - she daydreamed a lot about HIM asking HER out.  She opened her mouth about 50 times to just do it and get it over with - but then closed it and didn't say anything.  Wanting to do it, and dropping her guard to just do it were two different things.  She didn’t think she’d ever be ready.

Gina was putting sandwiches and potato salad together for lunch and called out, “FRIDAY - I’d like to bring lunch up to the lab levels - can you check with everyone to see if it would be a good time?”

“Miss Gina, the Boss and Dr. Banner are in his lab and are hungry - so anytime is good.  Miss Darcy said, ‘Bring it on - G’.”  Gina had never met JARVIS, but she had met Vision a few times - she thinks she would have liked him - everyone agreed FRIDAY was helpful, but not as personable as JARVIS - Bruce said she had an obvious lack of sass and snark the former AI had, and that he’d never admit it to Tony, but he missed JARVIS, too.

Gina loaded up her tray and headed for the lab-level elevator.  She’d delivered lunch a few times a week so she knew the way by now.  She stopped by Foster’s lab because it was closest to the elevator and dropped of sandwiches and salad to her charges.  Thor was off-planet cleaning up some mess or another on Asgard and Jane was getting her mope on by throwing herself into work.  Darcy plopped her into a rolling chair and pushed her away from the computer terminal and over to the table where they ate lunch.

“Janey, say thank you to Gina for bringing us lunch.”  Jane was pouting and eating at the same time - her gaze straight ahead and still running equations in her head.

“Thank you for lunch, Gina” Jane sing-songed sarcastically.

Gina reached over and wiped a smear of something that was not food from Jane’s cheek and grabbed her chin, turning her face to look into Gina’s eyes.  “You’re welcome, Jane.  He will be back soon, stop torturing Darcy when she’s only trying to take care of you.”

Darcy laughed and rolled Jane and her sandwich back over to her computer.  “She thinks it hurts my feelings when she grumps at me.  I’m over it - it doesn’t even register anymore.”  Darcy sat down and grabbed her own sandwich.  “Thanks for lunch, G!” 

Gina smiled and grabbed her tray, headed back out of the lab and down the hall to Tony’s lab at the end.  She figured the Science! Bros were there rather than Banner’s lab.  Tony touched too many things and spilled stuff in Bruce’s lab - there were too many bottles and tubes of stuff in there that should never mix for that to be safe.  

“Lunch, fellas!” She called as she walked through the doors FRIDAY opened for her.  Bruce was drying his hands near the sink and Tony was scrubbing with some sort of brush that looked like it was going to take the hide right off his hands.  Ouch.

Bruce smiled and walked towards the table where she was setting down their sandwiches.  She’d put roasted veggies and feta in a pita for Bruce and piled pastrami on rye with mustard for Tony.  “Thanks for bringing this up, Gina - we could have come downstairs.”  Bruce took a long drink of the iced tea she’d set at his seat.

“I had it ready to go and Darcy’s having trouble getting Jane out of the lab so I was coming up anyway.  Hope you like it - let me know what you think of those pitas, FRIDAY found another vendor with a better rating.”  Gina smiled as he took a big bite and gave her a thumbs up as he chewed.  Tony sat down and picked his sandwich apart, inspecting it before he put it back together and ate it.  Gina had not found a food that Tony wouldn’t eat, so she wasn’t sure what he was looking for - probably just wanted to know how it was built.  That’s an engineer for you.  She shrugged and looked around the lab - picking up empty coffee cups and putting them on her tray to take back down and wash.

She heard the sounds of chewing stop and turned around just as Tony asked FRIDAY to turn the volume up on the plasma opposite their table.

“......addeus Ross has again called for The Hulk to be turned over for questioning and to answer for his role in the destruction of Harlem, which happened years ago.”  You could hear the eye roll in the reporter’s voice.  Gina walked towards the table just as Bruce pushed his chair away and stood up.  Tony held his hand up to stop her forward motion and looked at Bruce, “Hey big guy, don’t worry about him.  You know you’re safe here - and you know there’s a lot more good that you’ve done in the last few years than bad.  Take some deep breaths and look at me.”  Tony was trying to stop a code green and Gina was rooted to the spot - not quite sure how she could help.

Bruce hunched his shoulders and bit out, “Ross!” but it was gravely - and didn't sound like him at all.  Gina’s eyes widened as Tony glanced at her.

She went for it.  “Bruce!” She didn't shout, just said his name clearly and firmly.  He slowly turned to look at her - and she was a bit surprised to see that “Bruce” was barely hanging on.

“Oh-  Hey Big Guy.  Bruce is not really there right now is he?”  Gina knew he was on the verge of the change - his eyes dark and hooded, a green tinge spreading across his features.

“ROSS!” the gravelly voice was not pleased - but the look on Bruce’s face started to change - she could see the gentle scientists in there - he was fighting.

“Yeah, he’s an asshole.”  Gina took another step forward and Tony made a move to get up from his seat and interfere.  Gina pinned him back in his chair with a look.  She needed to get the Hulk to go away, but it looked like he had to   _ want _ to go away - there was no force that was going to  _ make _ him go away.

Bruce continued to fight the change and Gina started talking in a low, quiet voice. “He can’t hurt you here - it’s just the TV, Big Guy.  I know you and Bruce aren't really buddies yet - and I know you need to protect him - but right now is not a great time for a change.  Metal Man’s workshop can’t handle the damage - and you might hurt Tony.”  Gina wasn’t sure reasoning would actually work in this case - it was really the only thing she could think of.

Bruce blinked a few times, his skin slowly returned to its slightly tan hue and he shook his head, dropping his gaze to the floor and taking a deep breath, “That was the STUPIDEST......”

“Whoa there, Bruce.  Stop and think about your words now.  I don’t let Nick Fury get away with shit, you think I’m going to let a 10’ green toddler have a temper tantrum over a TV show?”  Gina needed to stop him from talking before he said something he’d regret.

“Gina....” Bruce reached his hand out and then quickly pulled it back - she could see him visibly folding in on himself.  “I’m not safe.  You can’t be around me.”

“Shut the hell up - Bruce, NOBODY in this place is safe.  I got attacked at a BOOKSTORE because my ex husband is a spy.  Tony gets death threats every day, Natasha and Clint carry an arsenal into the common room for movie night.  HYDRA wants any one of us just so they can torture us for information.  Frankly, your issues are pretty par for the course around here.”  Tony, for once, sat back and said nothing - arms folded across his chest - a hand over his mouth hiding a smile.

“I know you want to be alone right now, get yourself back under control.  That’s fine - but don’t hide from us.  You have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing happened.  You stopped it, I helped, Tony kept his mouth shut - ‘Go Team!’”  Gina grabbed her tray of dirty dishes and walked out of the lab before he could say anything else.

Bruce whirled around and looked at Tony, ready to berate him for letting her get close.  Tony just snorted and said, “Guess you got told, Dr. Banner.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drinking with Tony Stark is NEVER a good idea.

Later that evening Gina was laying on her floor staring at the ceiling listening to some classic Black Sabbath - she was in a mood.  Bruce had declined coming down for dinner with a curt, “No thank you, Miss Jones” and had FRIDAY close the connection Gina had opened.  Self-Sacrificing idiot.  She’d been married to Nick-Fricking-Fury - the Hulk didn’t scare her.  Okay - he scared her, but dealing with him was nothing to make her run away and hide.  She’d stitched wounds on a blue hairy beast and went toe-to-toe with the Wolverine - who the heck did he think she was, some wilting violet or damsel in distress?  She was just working up a good mad when FRIDAY interrupted her train of thought.

“Miss Gina, the Boss would like to visit, he’s outside your door.”  Gina rolled her eyes and sat up.  

“Let him in, Friday.”  Gina grabbed her half-empty glass of wine off the table in front of the sofa and took a big gulp.  Tony stark walked in and looked down at her with his hands on his hips.

“Don’t give up on him, Gina.”  They both knew who “Him” was.

Gina snorted into her wine glass and gestured towards the counter after she took a swig, “Help yourself.  Glasses above the sink.”

Tony walked into the kitchenette and grabbed a glass, pouring himself a healthy measure and carrying the bottle over to fill her glass - reading the label along the way.

“This is a good vintage - good choice.” 

He was pouring the last of the bottle into her glass when she said, “Thanks, it’s from your wine cellar.  You have surprisingly good taste - I’m pretty sure someone else picked it out.”  Gina was feeling snarky - he was a convenient target.

Tony glanced at the label again, “Yep - mine - Pepper picked it out - she’s got way better taste than me.”  he sad down next to her on the floor and reached into the stereo cabinet and turned up the volume.  “He does like you, and he’s been really good the last few months.  Don’t give up on him.”

“I don’t want to give up, Tony.  I really, REALLY like Bruce - but I don’t know how to help him get over his self-sacrificing savior complex.  I’m at a loss.”  Gina hadn’t meant to admit that to Tony - or to anyone, really - but the wine was lubricating her better judgement.

“Bruce is not a complicated guy - he’s a scientist - he needs facts and data.  The Hulk was created within Bruce - and he’s a big ball of emotion.  You need to  SAY something to him - lay it out - then kiss the shit out of him and leave him alone to process.”  Tony liked Gina, and he loved Bruce - he was the brother he’d never had - and he thought they would be good for each other.  If anyone on the planet would stick by him no matter what his growly and/or emotional issues were, it was Gina.

“You’re remarkably insightful for a self-centered asshole, Stark.”  Gina drained her glass and started to get up to find another bottle of wine.

“Yeah yeah - don’t let it get out.  Now - enough emo shit - let’s get drunk.” They were definitely on the same page.

********

Sometime around 2am Pepper tracked Tony down in Gina’s apartment - they were drunk and zoned out on the sofa listening to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and giggling like idiots.  If she didn't know better, she’d  have thought they were high as kites - but the 4 empty bottles of wine on the coffee table clued her in quickly.

“You guys look cozy.”  Their legs were tangled together and Gina had a glass of wine balanced precariously on her stomach - Pepper was pretty sure it wasn’t going to stay there very long.

“Pep!  Pepper, Pep, Pep!  Have a glass of wine!”  Tony sat up and started searching the bottles on the table for one that wasn’t empty.

“I’m fine Tony, it’s 2am and you’re not in the lab, FRIDAY told me you were with Gina and I thought I’d come see if you were ready to get some sleep yet.”  Pepper smiled at the happy and fuzzy look on Gina’s face.

“Oh - sure - sleep would be good.  Gina - you going to sleep?”  Tony flopped onto the floor and stood up - he was lubricated well, but not fall down drunk.

“Nite Pep, Nite Tony - I’m out like a light when the album is over.  See you for breakfast!”  Gina set her glass on the coffee table and waved sloppily.

Pepper walked over to the kitchenette and poured 2 glasses of water from the fridge and grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen out of the cabinet above the coffee maker.  She handed one glass to Gina to drink now, and set the other and the bottle of ibuprofen on the table.  “Goodnight, Gina.  If you’re not up to breakfast in the morning - don’t worry about it - we can manage  _ one _ day without you.”

“Awww Pep - I wanted crepes - Gina said tomorrow was crepe day and then she’s going to jump Banner!” Tony was pouting and giggling - it was kinda adorable but Pepper knew better than to give in.

Gina flipped Tony off and rolled over, snuggling into the couch with a grumble.  Pepper just looked at Tony with raised eyebrows and an unasked question.  Tony smirked and grabbed her hand, heading for the door.  “I’ll tell you on the way back to the penthouse.”

*********

The next morning Gina stumbled into the Gym at 6:30, saw Natasha and Clint sparring on the mats, Steve on the weights, and Sam hitting the heavy bag and plopped onto a bench near Sam with her head in her hands.  She’d drank 3 glasses of water and took the ibuprofen when she woke up - and she  _ knew _ a workout was necessary to get her going, but getting her ass moving was not happening.

“Hey Miss G - long night?”  Sam was laughing as he threw jabs at the bag.  Behind him Steve let the weight bar down with a loud  _ clang _ and sat up.  

Gina grabbed her head tighter and groaned, “Ugh -noooo.  I’m not doing this today.”  She stood and stumbled into the locker room - shower and breakfast - maybe a workout later.  This was not happening.  Gina sank down on the bench in front of her locker and tried to muster the energy to get undressed and into the shower.  God, she was such a lightweight.  What had possessed her to drink with Tony Stark last night?   She must have drank at least 2 of the 4 empty bottles she found - that was about 1 1/2 more than she was accustomed to.

Gina felt a presence at her elbow and moved her fingers to peek between them, Natasha sat facing her - one leg bent up on the bench, her arms wrapped around it.  

“No lectures, Red - I can’t take it today.”  Gina was doing just fine lecturing herself.

Natasha laughed quietly, “Oh I’m sure you don’t need a lecture from me, you poured me into bed a few times after too much Vodka after a bad mission.  I just wanted to know if you wanted to talk about  _ why _ you got drunk with Tony Stark last night.”

“I’m not sure why - so not sure I can tell you why, Tash.”  Gina leaned over to untie her shoes and at least make the motions towards getting in the shower.

Natasha stood and grabbed Gina a clean towel out of the cabinet and set it on the bench beside her.  “We both know that’s not 100% the truth - but you know where I am when you’re ready to talk about it.”  Natasha stood behind her and rubbed her temples until Gina groaned and leaned back into her.

“I’ll give you a million years to stop that.”  Gina was about ready to do-over this day and it hadn’t even started.

“Can’t stay, G - time to go wipe the mats with Wilson’s ass.”  Natasha sauntered out.

Gina finished getting undressed and trudged into the shower.  She stood under the hot water for a long time, just leaning against the wall and trying to put her scrambled brain together.  She was mopey and morose over a  _ guy _ .  Ugh.  She was a trained agent, she was a badass and she knew it.  She made NICK FURY toe the line.  Why was she letting a scientist with floppy hair, glasses and an adorable grin frustrate her and drive her insane?

“Man up, G - time to get shit done.”  Gina grabbed the soap and started to make a plan.


	13. Chapter 13

You know what they say about the “best laid plans.”  Gina had gotten through the day with her head up, the start of a plan forming, but before she could implement part one that evening - Clint and Natasha came in from what was supposed to be a surveillance op and clint was dripping blood all over her dining room floor.

“Birdbrain - any reason you’re here and not on the med floor with the doc?”  Gina grabbed 2 clean towels and met him halfway across the room.

“Just need a few stitches, G - you can do ‘em.”  Clint was holding a makeshift field dressing against his left bicep, it was soaked through and dripping.

“No can do, fella.  Too much blood - means this is deeper than a scratch and may have nicked something.  You’re coming with me.  She put the towels against the wound and used his slow momentum to turn him around and head back for the elevator.

“FRIDAY, please have Dr. Banner meet us in the med bay.”  Gina locked eyes with Natasha as they passed her, she was trailing her partner onto the common floor because he was an idiot and wouldn’t just go to medical himself.  Natasha rolled her eyes and turned to follow them.

“Doctor Banner says he’s on his way, Miss Gina.  He’ll meet you there.”  FRIDAY opened the elevator for them and whisked them to the floor that housed medical and the avenger’s med bay.

They beat the doctor to the med bay and Gina just pointed at the chair, expecting Clint to park his butt without argument.  She moved to the sink to scrub her hands clean and don gloves.  By the time Bruce walked in she had a suture tray and another tray of exploratory instruments laid out and ready.  Clint was sitting sulkily - Gina had promised that if it was just stitches he could go back to his apartment that night, but if he needed blood, he’d need to stay under observation.

Bruce was surprised to see his instruments laid out and rushed over to wash his hands, asking Clint and Natasha to give him a rundown on what happened and how long ago.  Gina handed him a towel and helped him put gloves on, then took up a spot next to the tray and started handing Bruce instruments as he called for them.

The cut was deep but it didn't look to have cut anything major, it would need some internal sutures as well as external.  Using staples on Clint was not a great idea - he was so active that he ended up tearing them.  As Bruce turned to Gina to ask for some Polyglactin 910  to start on the internal stitches, she handed him the sutures setup already clamped in a forceps ready for him to begin.  He looked up and met her eyes as he grabbed the instrument, “Thank you, Nurse.”  He smirked at her a little.

“You’re welcome, Doctor.”  She smirked back. Interesting - maybe Gina’s plans weren’t going to have to be a multi-step plan of attack.

Bruce turned to start his stitches and Gina met Natasha’s eyes from the other side of where Clint sat - Natasha raised her eyebrows with a question.  Gina just shrugged one shoulder and snipped the stitches as Bruce put them in.  Once he was happy with those she readied the 4-0 silk sutures Bruce would need to sew up the outer layers of Clint’s wound, snipping as he completed each stitch, carefully placing them for maximum hold.

Gina cleaned up the area and placed a bandage as Bruce readied an injection designed to keep his arm numb for quite some time so he could get some rest.  Once he was cleaned up and ready to go, Gina helped him down, admonished him to drink 3 glasses of water before he fell asleep - and another glass every time he woke up.  Blood loss was nothing to mess with.  She would bring him something to eat in a few hours.

Turning Clint over to Natasha she followed him out quietly as they headed back to their apartment.  Gina turned to help Bruce clean up.  She was surprised when he was the first one to speak.  “You know your way around a med bay.”  He was making a pile of supply wrappers so FRIDAY could restock.  Gina was disposing of sharps and getting a try of instruments ready to be cleaned.

“Coulson told you I’m a trained medic.  That means more than bandaids and boo boos, Bruce.”  Gina maybe let a little bit more snark in that statement than she intended.

“I wasn’t criticizing you, Gina.  I’m happy to have your help, it probably would have taken me about 30 minutes just to talk Clint into coming to med bay.”  Bruce was leaning against a cabinet while Gina wiped down the chair and table with disinfectant.

“He hates doctors. He wasnt so bad until Loki - he spent too much time closed away with lab coats after that.  Plus he’s a big baby.”  Gina smiled a little recalling Clint’s antics even before the Avengers.

“He also knows better than to underestimate you.  Something I was not smart enough to figure out until this morning.”  Bruce smiled and met her eyes as she turned around.

“What changed this morning?”  Gina wasn’t sure where this was going.

“I had visitors this morning - Tony.....and Pepper......and Natasha.....and your ex-husband.”  Bruce laughed.

“Wow, exciting day.”  Gina parrotted his words from her bad day a few months ago back to him.

“You have no idea, Gina.  Apparently I’m an idiot - and you’re amazing.”  Bruce took a step closer.  Gina held her ground.

“And is my amazingness your personal opinion, or is this something everyone else told you that you should be feeling about me?”  Gina knew that was confusing - but words were hard, and she really wanted to kiss him.

“Oh no - that’s purely my personal opinion - the idiot part came from everyone else.”  Bruce reached out to tuck a curl behind her ear.

“Well, I think you’re an idiot - but I think you’re an adorable idiot.”  Gina leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek.  “You can maybe change my opinion over dinner tomorrow night.”

“I can probably do that.  The dinner part - not so sure about the idiot part.  That might take until date 3 or 4.”  Bruce slid his hand into the hair at her nape and her forward, meeting her lips with his.

It was a fairly chaste kiss - a little bit of tongue, a little bit of nibbling - but it was sweet, and kind, and Gina leaned into Bruce’s warmth - her hands reaching for his hips as his other arm slid behind her.  He deepened the kiss briefly then pulled back and pecked her lips again.

“I haven’t had dinner yet - any enchiladas in the freezer?”  Bruce pulled back and took her hand in his.

“There are always enchiladas in my freezer, Bruce.”  Gina pulled him towards the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it - the end of my first chapter-based fic. Thanks for sticking with me, gang

Gina and Bruce’s first date was unique - but perfect.  They walked hand in hand towards Central Park, grabbed falafel from a food truck, and sat in the park on a blanket and talked while they ate.  Eventually it was late, and getting cool.  Bruce pulled Gina up and laid one hell of a kiss on her before they made their way to the park entrance, still hand in hand.  Happy himself was waiting with a SI car to take them back to the tower.

Their second date they went to the record store and bought tea from a little store on Rose Hill - Bruce seemed to know the owners and talked with them comfortably in Hindi while Gina smelled every single type of tea in the place.  She picked out 3 and added them to Bruce’s selections.  She also picked up a few different types of incense and an adorable little tea set.  She already had one but this one used small cups instead of the glasses that went with her other set - the one being more Asian than Indian.

When they got back to the tower they went to Gina’s apartment and put her new Billy Joel record on the stereo and tried their new teas - one from her selection, one from his.  They were sitting on the couch chatting about nothing deep when Gina’s door opened and Wanda Maximoff rushed in - stopping as soon as she looked up and saw Gina and Bruce on the couch.  

Wanda froze and stuttered, “Oh my gosh, Gina - I’m so sorry.  I’ll.....I’ll come back later.”  Wanda was flustered and Gina could tell she was upset.

“Wanda - stop - what’s wrong?”  Gina stood and rushed over to Wanda, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the couch.  Bruce went into the kitchen and poured a cup of tea for Wanda, adding a dollop of honey and a bit of milk.  Milky tea was good or what ails you, his mother had told him when he was very small.

Bruce sat down on the other side of Wanda and placed the cup of tea in her hands - they were very cold.  Wanda was obviously very upset.

“I overheard some people talking - they were saying that Pietro and I were here as HYDRA spies and that they couldn’t believe that we hadn’t figured out that the Avengers knew and were keeping us here so they could keep an eye on us.  Gina - is that true - do they think we’re HYDRA spies?”  Wanda was rambling a bit.  Bruce met Gina’s eyes over her head - the look on his face conveyed that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Wanda...Wanda - are you listening to me?  Look at me.”  Gina held Wanda’s hands around her tea cup and ducked down to meet her eyes.  Wanda raised her eyes to meet Gina’s - uncertainty and pain clouding them.  “Nobody who matters - and that means all the other Avengers and those of us adjacent to the Avengers - believes that you are HYDRA spies.  Nobody.” 

“How do you kn....” Wanda wasn’t convinced. 

Bruce spoke up, “Wanda.”  She turned to meet his gaze.  “None of us think you’re still part of HYDRA.  We saw the files, we know what they did to you and Pietro - we know that you are good, honest, trustworthy people - and you are Avengers too - you  _ are _ part of this team.  We have your backs, and we know you have ours.”

Gina rubbed Wanda’s back and guided the tea cup up to her lips.  “Where is Pietro?  Was he with you?”

“No - he’s up in Dr. Foster’s lab annoying Darcy.  He likes her but is using all of his gross man-whore lines to try to get her to go out on a date with him.  It’s quite amusing to listen to her shoot him down. He hadn’t figured out yet that if he asked sincerely, she’d finally say yes.”  Wanda took another sip of her tea.

Gina laughed and pulled Wanda back into her embrace, pushing her head down on her shoulder.  Bruce grabbed an afghan and covered Wanda up and took his and Gina’s tea cups into the kitchen for a refill - leaving the ladies alone for a few minutes.

“I’m sorry I barged in, Gina.” Wanda was aware that she had interrupted Gina’s time with Bruce.

“Wanda - you are always welcome here.  You were upset - I would be upset if you didn’t come to me - this is why I’m here!” Gina chaffed her arms under the blanket trying to get some warmth into her.

“Your job is to deal with juvenile panic attacks?” Wanda was a bit mortified at her behavior.

“My job is to attend to the care and feeding of the Avengers and their support team - you are an Avenger, your physical and psychological well being is my job.”  Bruce set another cup down next to Gina’s knee on the coffee table and sat behind her on the couch, not wanting to crowd Wanda.

“Wanda - who did you overhear in the elevator?  Was it someone who works on the upper floors?”  Bruce’s voice was soft and coaxing.  He wanted to know who worked for SI but would say such things.

“I think it was some of those nasty women in HR.  They talk crap about everyone - even Natasha - I heard them say once she was a slut because she had sex while undercover on missions.”  Wanda looked at Gina wide eyed.  Anyone who said things like that about the Black Widow definitely had no sense of self-preservation.

“FRIDAY, pull elevator surveillance and notify Pepper and Tony of this portion of our conversation - see if you can isolate the who and when before you send them anything - cc me please.  If you cannot isolate let me know and I’ll go talk to them.”  Bruce dug his phone out of his pocket and pulled up an app to take notes.

Wanda sat up a little, “I don’t want anyone to....”  Tenderhearted, and a bit unwilling to rock the boat, she started to protest.

Gina stopped her, “Wanda - we can’t have people like that working here.  If they have a low opinion of the Avengers, they could be turned, or give access to someone who wanted to hurt one of you.  That’s a big security issue.”  She let that sink in for a few minutes as Wanda finished her tea.

“FRIDAY, can you have Pietro come down here please?”  Gina thought her big brother was just what he needed.  12 minutes was sort of older - but Pietro was taller and broader and loved his sister - he would take her back to their rooms and they’d watch terrible Russian TV and eat toasted brown bread until she felt better.  It was what they did.

In about the same time it would take for the elevator to move from the labs to the common floor, Pietro zoomed into Gina’s apartment and saw Wanda wrapped up in her arms.  “What happened?!” He rushed to her side and sat down, taking her and the blanket into his own arms and onto his lap - murmuring to her in Sokovian.

“She overheard some some awful things while in the elevator.  We’re taking care of the personnel things - can you take care of Wanda?” Bruce took the cup from Wanda’s hands as she flung her arms around Pietro’s neck and sighed.

“Of course, come _Sestra_ \- let’s go have toast and you can tell me what happened.”  Pietro mouthed “Thank you” over to Gina and Bruce and stood with his sister in his arms.  He walked slowly and quietly out the door.  Gina got up and closed it behind them.

“I always knew he was protective of her, but they bicker like they don’t really get along.”  Bruce mused from his spot on the couch.

Gina curled up beside him and grabbed her tea cup, “They were all they had after they lost their parents and while they were with Strucker - they love each other very much.  When he was hurt after Sokovia, she refused to leave his side.  Steve had to actually carry her into the shower once for Natasha.”  Gina smiled at that image.  Natasha had told her Wanda was a mess, so worried and so dirty.

“Yeah - I missed the aftermath - I went walkabout.  I probably shouldn’t have done that.” Bruce still felt bad about walking away - or flying away - as it were.  He hadn’t stayed gone long, but he still left.

“Well - you figured it out, running doesn’t solve the problem - it just lets it fester.”  Gina leaned up to peck his lips.  Bruce leaned down to kiss her slowly, sliding his tongue along her lips - silently asking her for permission to take it further.  Gina opened her mouth to him and slid her tongue across his bottom lip, causing him to groan and deepen the kiss.

“Yeah.  I think I’m done running” he said as he pushed her backwards onto the couch.

********

The next morning Gina didn't show up in the Gym early for her workout and Natasha noticed.  So did Steve and Sam.  “Tash, where’s Gina?” Steve asked.

Natasha smirked at Clint, “I imagine you’ll see her at breakfast.  Mind your own business, Rogers.”

Later after their run and showers, Sam and Steve walked into the common floor to see Gina and Bruce in Pajamas standing close next to the stove.  She was flipping french toast and Bruce was scrambling eggs.  He handed her the plate for the french toast and she leaned over to peck him on the lips as she took it.  Steve groaned and they turned to see him fishing a bill out of his wallet and handing it to Sam.

“I told you Rogers, never bet against the professional people reader - you’ll lose every time,” Sam said as he pocketed his winnings.

Gina shook her spatula at them and Bruce just smirked and kissed her bare shoulder, turning back to his eggs with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so Natasha is a little OOC here, but it's my AU and I'm sticking to it. Let me know what you think - I'm always looking for constructive feedback!


End file.
